(Publisher’s Note: We’ll be republishing a few of our recent Q&A series as Steve Novotney continues his recovery from a recent medical procedure.)
Better. That’s it. Just better.
That’s all David Croft hopes for and works toward each day for the city he loves most.
And Croft, a 1985 grad from Wheeling Park High and the member in charge of Wheeling’s Spillman Thomas & Battle firm, applies himself in his quest for better every day by serving as the president of the Ohio County Board of Education, he’s a member of the Greater Wheeling Sports & Entertainment Authority, and he’s the treasurer for the West Liberty University Foundation Board of Directors.
Croft is in the middle of IT, and that’s because he’s trying to make a positive difference in a place he’s witnessed decay. He remembers when the Capitol Theatre went dark and when Stones closed along with most of the other retail in downtown Wheeling, and Croft recalls a number of his high school classmates move away for opportunities elsewhere.
But he was there when the theatre reopened, and he remembers when Stone & Thomas became the Stone Center – the home of 500-plus living-wage jobs at Williams Lee Tag – and when he himself has rejected job offers so he, and his bride Jennifer, and their family could stay right here in his hometown to affect positive change and to be a part of the resurrection he believes is taking place this very moment.
You believe in good politics in an era of partisan power. Why?
I believe in good politics in an era of partisan power because it’s the best way to preserve trust, integrity, and progress in a deeply divided political landscape. When power and influence become the goal rather than a tool, they corrode institutions and public trust and alienate those people who should be served.
But good politics based upon transparency, fairness, open dialogue, and public service can bridge the divides, hold elected leaders accountable, and refocus the system on solving problems. Serving as a local school board member has shown me that good politics isn’t about ideology—it’s about listening, problem-solving, and keeping the focus on what truly matters: our students, their families, and Ohio County Schools employees.
In an increasingly polarized environment, it’s easy for national politics to seep into school board decisions, turning classrooms into battlegrounds for partisan agendas. But good politics resists that pull. It’s showing up to every meeting prepared, treating others with respect even when we disagree, and making tough choices based on what’s best for our schools—not what’s most politically convenient.
You choose to live here and be involved? Why?
It’s home, and it has been an amazing place to raise my family.
Wheeling is on the comeback, and it’s great to be a community member during this exciting time. Wheeling is a city with deep roots and a strong sense of history, where neighborhoods that feel like communities and people still greet each other by name. It’s a place where kids can grow up with access to quality public and private schools, safe streets, and plenty of room to play at Oglebay Park and Wheeling Park.
You like to cook. Why?
I wish I had time to cook as I would enjoy the challenge of creating interesting dishes. Fortunately, my lovely bride is an amazing cook with a creative ability to prepare delicious and healthy meals for us.
We also patronize many of the local eateries.
You have chosen to be a lifetime learner. Why?
My day job requires me to learn every day, which is why I love doing my job. This comes from being curious and realizing that I can always learn something new, even when I think I know it. Lifetime learning fosters humility, empathy, and a sense of wonder.
I cannot become complacent as it lulls people into inaction. It masks itself as satisfaction or peace, but it quietly stalls growth, dulls ambition, and invites decline. I firmly believe that lifetime learning fosters staying sharp, which in turn means resisting the ease of complacency and choosing curiosity, discomfort, and challenge instead.
As a member of the Ohio County Board of Education, you have remained convinced that changing start times at Wheeling Park High School would be better for the health and academic success of the students. Why?
Because under West Virginia law, it is the duty of the Board of Education to provide for the health of the pupils, and the science is undeniable that it is unhealthy for adolescents to begin school at the time Ohio County Schools start.
Later school start times are healthier for adolescent students because they align better with teenagers’ natural sleep cycles, support mental and physical health, and improve academic performance. During adolescence, biological changes in sleep patterns make it difficult for teens to fall asleep early—most naturally begin to feel sleepy around 11 p.m. or later. Yet many of our schools start before 8 a.m., forcing students to wake up far earlier than their bodies are ready, leading to chronic sleep deprivation.
Research shows that when schools adopt later start times (typically 8:30 a.m. or later), students get more sleep, report feeling more alert and less stressed, and even show improvements in attendance, grades, and standardized test scores. It also contributes to safer outcomes—studies have found a reduction in teen car accidents in districts that shifted to later start times.
In short, later school start times are a simple yet powerful change that supports adolescent well-being, academic success, and safety by respecting the biological realities of teenage sleep needs
