He’s an exact person. He calculates, experiments, considers, and then answers. Exactly.
He’s a family man. Husband, father, protector, provider, and he loves what he loves purely.
He is an entrepreneur. For years he’s repaired amplifiers, speakers, guitars, foot pedals, loopers, and any-and-all other gadgets purposed by live and local entertainers.
And he’s a thinker, and his thoughts go way beyond and far further than the contemplations of most others.
But to describe East Wheeling resident Erik Marple to an individual who knows him from nowhere, an easy-on-the-surface depiction would be to say, “He fixes shit.” And that is, in no way, shape, or form, an exaggeration. If it’s electronic, Marple will crack it open and likely be able to offer a diagnosis within minutes. It’s this transistor or that capacitor or that diode or this oscillator or something most know nothing about it.
Except for Marple because, for a million-and-three reasons, he knows what they are and, in most cases, how to repair.
A renaissance man? Perhaps. A contemporary? For sure. A fan of sharing family photos? Well, um … but hey, in honor of the late Carl Weathers and his ole’ “Rocky” pose …
You decided to run for the Third Ward seat on Wheeling Council in 2020 but opted not to file for candidacy this year. Why?
I had said last election that I would not run again for the same office. However, I had seriously considered it until my neighbor of a great many years announced that she was running. I have no doubt that Connie will serve with the same intentions for our community that I would have.
It’s actually a bit of a blessing as I have my hands full with two eight-year-olds and all of their ambitions and dreams. As well as my numerous content production projects.
What business do you believe will be most needed in downtown Wheeling once the streetscape project is completed?
We have the food, we have built the residential, repaired the infrastructure and are consistently adding to the entertainment options in town. I honestly feel it is time to bring back retail. I know a lot of people say things about mom-and-pop shops and I feel we have a great Centre Market for that already. I also hear a lot about the need for a grocer downtown in which we really could use another.
What we do not have is a department store. Such businesses thrived in Wheeling back when we had a population downtown and now that there will be an increase in walking traffic perhaps it is the time to have one again. Department stores hire a lot of people and are a great employment opportunity for the young and retired alike. There are so many things that you cannot simply walk into a store and buy downtown. Things like socks or pet supplies or even televisions.
Do flat-screen TVs need to be disposed of once the sound or picture goes away?
In many ways, yes, TVs can be considered disposable in the sense that they are often replaced rather than repaired when they malfunction or become outdated. This trend has been accelerated by advancements in technology, leading to newer models with improved features and higher resolutions being released frequently.
Additionally, the decreasing cost of televisions over time has made them more accessible to a wider range of consumers, further contributing to the disposable mindset. Many people opt to upgrade their TVs regularly to take advantage of the latest technologies and features, rather than investing in repairs for older models.
However, it’s worth noting that TVs, like many electronic devices, contain valuable materials that can be recycled. Proper recycling of TVs helps recover resources and reduces environmental impact. So, while TVs may be considered disposable in terms of consumer behavior, efforts are being made to mitigate their environmental impact through responsible disposal and recycling practices.
What do you believe will be the next “boom” on the Internet?
It is most certainly AI. For instance, I did not answer the last question regarding televisions. I asked Chat GPT and it answered for me. As the technology continues to advance itself, we will see many changes both good and bad.
It is wonderful that your refrigerator can add milk to your Instacart until the day it won’t let you buy doughnuts because you skipped the gym. Or, for instance, when a high school uses it to recreate flyers for girls lacrosse we need to keep in mind that AI will not represent realistically obtainable body images for our children unless we direct it to.
The scariest aspects of recent Internet reliance bring us to what might be the biggest “Boom” there is. The day the internet goes away. Whether it is due to AI or to our governments, we have set ourselves up in a dangerous game by relying too greatly on this technology for our education, entertainment, shopping, news, socializing, and even medical services.
Imagine if it all went away and how that would change the course of your day.
As a resident of East Wheeling, what idea do you have to improve the quality of life in your neighborhood with the city’s homeless issue in mind?
I’ve lived here long enough to remember a time when if you saw a man or woman standing on the sidewalk, you knew that they were “working.” Albeit it may not have been a “legal” profession. IMO, those were better days.
I find it very ironic that our “homeless” population is treated very much as a commodity by many of the organizations that aim to help it. Here in Wheeling, we have dozens of such businesses that each hire multitudes of employees, nearly all of which have payroll that is subsidized with state and federal grant money.
Like anything else in this world, if you want to change an industry follow the money. Stop so many people from making a living by servicing the “homeless” and you will see less of them. Treat each other better and as always build the world that you want to live in.
