This will be the man’s ninth time running for a position on Wheeling’s City Council, most recently in May 2016, when he was defeated by Ken Imer by a single vote.
One vote. It was hard for him to take.
“But now, these days, I just remind them that their vote counts and that maybe them not voting may have cost me the election,” said downtown Wheeling resident Charlie Ballouz. “People don’t think their vote counts, but they sure do.”
But that never-more-narrow defeat represents only one of the many reasons why Ballouz has announced his candidacy for the race in Ward 2. Wheeling Island resident Ben Seidler announced his intention to run for the seat several months ago, and the incumbent Imer has not yet filed for re-election.
Despite his defeats, Ballouz served the board for the Ohio Valley Regional Transit Authority for 19 years and was the chair for seven, and he’s been an activist supporting bus service to The Highlands and as an opponent to the proposed two-way traffic patterns for Main and Market streets.
“The two-way proposal, I believed, was a stupid one because of safety concerns, and I thought it was a waste of time to even talk about it,” he insisted. “And now look? These roads are the worst I have ever seen them, and I’ve lived here in downtown for 38 years.
“I drive an older car, and when I come down Main Street, I’m afraid something is going to fall off,” Ballouz said seriously. “I don’t think it should be this way, and that’s something I want to help change.”
Ballouz also is concerned about inclusivity by the city simply because, as a gentleman soon to turn 81 years old, he’s felt left out.
“I have heard about some of what the council people share online, but that’s not something I know a lot about. I just know this city because this is where I’ve lived my entire live,” the East Wheeling native said. “And I think if the city can do more to attract more small retail to the downtown, it could be what saves this city (district).
“But, in Ward 2, there needs to be better code enforcement, more police presence, and a plan for what to do with the problem properties and the owners,” Ballouz explained. “And the only way I would support the purchase of the property this council has picked for the public safety building (on 19th Street) is if it was being taken by eminent domain. That place has been an eyesore for too long a time.”
Ballouz was a Wheeling teenager during the 1950s, a period during which the city’s downtown was packed with businesses and patrons, and many of the most shared photos on pages like, “Memories of Wheeling” on Facebook display the crowds and the commerce.
But before he turned 50 years old, the mass exodus from Wheeling’s downtown was well under way as the “Main Street” trend ended and the mall venue dominated. Not only did Sears, Stone & Thomas, L.S. Good, and J.C. Penney relocate to the Ohio Valley Mall, but also shops like Merry Go Round, The Limited, Spencer’s, and the Gap enticed all.
“I remember all of it. One by one, and now you can’t even buy a shirt in downtown Wheeling,” Ballouz said. “I’m not saying it can be what it was, but I believe it can be more. I don’t want to be too critical, but I would give this council an “F” because I can’t pinpoint an accomplishment.
“I tell people that if they vote for me, they are voting for themselves because I’ll work with anyone at any time,” he added. “I’ve probably attended more than 300 council meetings in my life, and the one thing I hear from people is that they don’t feel like they are really being heard (because) they don’t hear from anyone about it. That wouldn’t be the case with me.”
