(Publisher’s Note: This is the first of two parts featuring Wheeling Councilwoman Rosemary Ketchum and her experiences while serving her constituents in Ward 3 during the past 16 months. The second part will publish tomorrow at the same time.)
The fact she was elected as one of Wheeling’s seven council members was historical. Let’s get that out of the way at the start. Three opponents, 15-vote margin, and Rosemary Ketchum started on July 1, 2020, representing Ward 3, a division of the municipality that included East Wheeling, part of the downtown, Center and South Wheeling, and Mozart.
History, indeed, and well documented, as well.
Time Magazine included her victory in print, and so did People magazine and a plethora of other newspapers across the country. A W.Va. Public Radio documentary titled, “Rosemary” began filming in 2019 covering her run for the Ward 3 seat on Wheeling Council, and her victory. It aired on every PBS station across the Mountain State and was offered to all others in the United States.
But now, more than 16 months after she because the first transgender candidate to win public office in West Virginia, the story has twisted to performance. Be sure, though, that Ketchum will continue commenting on regional and national issues when asked despite some criticisms that have been levied by Wheeling residents since she took office on July 1, 2020.
“I anticipated that after our campaign received national and statewide attention when I got elected, so I was very aware folks would assume the attention is the only thing I care about or that I only wanted to work on our issues that are not relevant to the city of Wheeling. What I will say is that sometimes I’ll make a comment on a national issue or a statewide issue, and those are things that are taken and published,” Ketchum explained. “That’s been part of the learning experience as a member of the Council.
“Now, I’m not going to stop talking about national and statewide issues because they have serious, local implications, and that’s why I think it’s irresponsible to say, ‘Hey, stay in your lane; don’t talk about candidates; don’t talk about reproductive rights; don’t talk about things that are happening on the statewide level,’” she said. “If you are paying attention, you will realize those issues have a direct impact on our city. I think people who are elected to city positions are told to stay in their lane, but with so much going on around us, we can’t afford to stay in our lane.”
Ward Three’s Moving Parts
It is a large ward, including about half of downtown Wheeling and all of East Wheeling, Center Wheeling, South Wheeling, and Mozart. Homelessness, drug trafficking, assault, theft, dilapidated properties, domestic violence, and poverty all are prevalent issues within the five areas.
Ketchum, however, has made efforts to gain the constituents’ perspectives by orchestrating neighborhood walk-arounds, community meetings, and distributing newsletters at least twice per month. Her latest correspondence offered congratulations to Ohio County Dog Warden Doug McCroskey on his retirement after 26 years, information on the YSS Wheeling Sleepout that took place on Nov. 5, paving projects in the ward, and an update on the new Centre Market Commission.
“I’m having a blast,” Ketchum said. “I believe the city of Wheeling is in a better place than it’s ever been, and I am having a lot of fun working with my fellow Council members and with the community to ensure we are doing what we need to improve the quality of life for the people who live here.
“I believe we are recreating a city that people want to live in,” she said. “I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time so we can address the fact that West Virginia experienced one of the sharpest population declines in the nation, and the city of Wheeling was a part of that. So, I want to improve the lives of the people who live here, and also I want to make sure the people who live outside of Wheeling see it as a positive place where they can raise a family and start a small business.”
The Top Two Floors
Once upon a time in downtown Wheeling, business owners would operate street-level shoe stores, bakeries, clothing shops, and restaurants in three-story buildings with the basements used for storage and the top two levels for their homes.
Although there are several such structures today in the downtown and in the Centre Market area, most of them cannot be used in a similar fashion because of updated building and fire safety regulations. Additional forms of ingress and egress now are mandated as are fire suppression systems.
Officials of the City of Wheeling, including members of the development office and of the Wheeling Fire Department, are willing to cooperate with property owners who wish to finance the necessary upgrades. That is exactly what is happening between the city and representatives with Roxby Development during the extensive renovations to the Scott Rite Cathedral in East Wheeling and the McLure House on the corner of 12th and Market streets.
It is Ketchum’s goal to help spread to the owners of those smaller structures.
“One of the things I feel we need to address in many areas of the city is that we have so many three-story buildings with a business on the street level, but nothing above. Some folks may not realize those spaces are empty, but trust me; they are vacant because of today’s codes,” the councilwoman said. “If we can develop some sort of program that makes it more affordable for the property owners to do what they need to do to take advantage of those spaces, we could have more answers for affordable housing.
“I know it may take a long time, but I believe it’s worth trying. Otherwise, those second and third floors may never be used again,” Ketchum added. “There are so many properties like this in Centre Market and Center Wheeling, in downtown, and East Wheeling, too. I believe it could be a solution to a very real problem we have here in the city of Wheeling.”
