When the members of Wheeling Council and the Ohio County Commission met for a joint work session at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in mid-December, local residents did not know what to expect next.
According to Ohio County Commissioner Zach Abraham, the conversation between the elected officials has continued since and the two bodies are working to schedule a second work session.
“The city and the county have collaborated in the past, and we have a lot of good things happening on the city level and at the county level, but I think our residents are looking at how we may be able to share some of our resources,” Abraham explained. “I also think the people want us to work on things together and not pit the city and the county against each other. That doesn’t happen all of the time, of course, but there have been situations where it appeared to be the case.
“What we’re trying to do now is take a different approach when we’re looking at ways that we can get the community more involved so growth can become a reality,” he said. “But we also have to decide how to look at everything because I believe it’s strategic in nature versus executing things as they have done before. Right now, I believe it’s about strategy and about being more goal orientated.”
Wheeling Councilman Ben Seidler represents Ward 2, an area that includes Wheeling Island, most of North Wheeling, and the Fulton and Glenwood Heights neighborhoods. He believes the collaboration has a lot of potential to produce progress. ,
“The sessions have been good discussions, and I look forward to more in the future I believe we have a chance to establish a partnership between the city and the county that accomplished a lot of positive things for the residents of Wheeling and Ohio County,” he said. “We’re taking a good look at what resources we both have and how what the city does can benefit the county, and vice versa.
“I’m looking forward to investigating what is possible, and I know the residents are looking forward to it, too,” Seidler reported. “If we can help each other, I see no reason not to try to make it happen.”
By the People, For the People
There are a little more than 44,000 residents of Ohio County with one municipality, two villages, and three towns, and there are residential properties in rural and urban areas.
The city of Pittsburgh is approximately an hour away, Columbus is about two hours, and a trip from the Wheeling area to Cleveland is less than 130 million. Ohio County’s proximity to those larger cities is one of many reasons why Abraham feels it’s to grow those population numbers in the future. Another reason is an individual’s ability to work remotely for a company headquartered within driving distance of the Friendly City.
“Everyone I’ve chatted with formally or informally has told me that they want good things to happen here and that it would make sense for more people to move if they are working remotely,” Abraham reported. “If we are successful and become the epicenter of growth, that’s when I believe we can share what we are doing with other parts of this region. I believe the city and the county can become catalysts.
“I have always believed that with more people involved, more positive things can take place than what’s possible if you’re working with just people from the city or just the county,” he continued. “That’s why we had that first meeting late last year and why we’ll continue having that conversation so exciting things can happen in all parts of Ohio County.”
Part of the Program
The county commissioner’s goal is to create a system which he and his two elected colleagues can utilize in the short-term future, but also to establish a program that county and city officials can utilize for many years to come.
The fact that elected officials come and go, too, is a reality Abraham adopts when in the discussion is, about how to continue to develop the formal relationship with the City of Wheeling.
“We have to start somewhere knowing that we’re going to have changes in administration and changes with the elected officials,” the county commissioner said. “And I believe we have to be intentional about it because I think there are times when something sounds good to say, but then we have to go and do those things so that we start seeing results and positive changes. It’s not just me, either, because it is going to take everyone involved.
“With a lot of those initiatives, we’ll also need the cooperation of a lot of local organizations that are involved so we’re all in the rowboat together. There are a lot of different pieces, and that’s why we can’t just say we’ll get the city and the county together,” Abraham added. “It’s more about how thoughtful we are about strategy and how we execute that strategy. Once we get this moving forward, we have to make sure it continues beyond our individual tenures on the commission and on the council.”
