She’s a mother of eight and a grandmother of 13, and she and her husband have created four businesses from scratch, and they own and maintain nearly 50 rental properties, too.
That’s why Wheeling voters have heard Beth Hinebaugh says it over and over again – “I am the most invested candidate in this race for mayor.”
And when she’s stated it, she’s meant it. Quite literally.
“Those are the main reasons why I got involved in the first place. I thought about it and thought about it, and I talked with a lot of different people, too,” she explained. “Some people thought I should run for the council seat in my ward, but because our companies and our properties are all over town, I’ve been able to see what’s been happening in this city.
“I waited until almost the last day to file because I kept thinking about what I really wanted to do, and I think running for mayor was the right thing to do because I believe I believe I can help move this city in the right direction for everyone,” Hinebaugh insisted. “I don’t care if it sounds like a cliché when I say I want my kids and grandkids to live here because that’s the truth.”
Hinebaugh is a Wheeling native who served as an officer with the Wheeling Police Department during the 1990s, and since she has worked in healthcare, childcare, and now in private business all the while raising her younger children. Her and her husband opened the Fulton Fun Factory in 2016.
“I’ve worked very hard to get where I am and to have the experience I’ve gained through the years. And I think that’s really important when it comes to being the mayor of the city of Wheeling,” Hinebaugh said. “Someone can have all of the best intentions and they can say all the right things and still have no idea how to move in those directions because they’ve not lived it themselves.
“I know the people of Wheeling because I’m one of us. That’s all I can say,” she said. “My husband and I have done well for ourselves, but it’s a lot of hard work every single day, and it’s about dealing with difficult situations every day. During the campaign I’ve been doing both and when I get finished knocking on doors during the evenings, I’m exhausted. But this means a lot to me and I hope the voters know that.”
Not only has Hinebaugh knocked on thousands of doors in multiple neighborhoods in the city, she’s attended Nailers and Miners games, ate dinners and took part in panels, participated in radio, newspaper, and television interviews, and she’s cleaned up mud and collected flood relief supplies for the residents of Wheeling Island.
The Hinebaughs operate the Noah’s Ark Childcare & Learning Center at 115 South Broadway Street on Wheeling Island, so the threat of flooding is a constant, but the candidate said her volunteer work at the House of Carpenter and in several other Islands area was enlightening.
“I’ve always know the residents of Wheeling Island are terrific when the river floods, and trust me, we’re really happy it doesn’t happen very often. But this time is happened twice in less than two weeks,” she said. “I went over both times, and you just saw the fight in people who weren’t going to give up. There were those residents who had never experienced flooding, too, and those poor folks didn’t know what to do.
“It just made me think about the people I want to help as the mayor of Wheeling because I was working with them so we could help the people in the middle of the flooding,” Hinebaugh said. “It made me want to be the next mayor even more.”
A Clean Campaign
Hinebaugh is one of six candidates running for the Mayor’s Seat in Wheeling, and along with the businesswoman, there are two current council members, a retired city employee, an insurance salesman, and a retired union worker.
Each agrees the city needs economic success that leads to population growth, and they concur that issues like homelessness, the drug epidemic, and infrastructure improvements are top priorities, but there are differences, too, that were exposed during their interviews.
This past week, though, a number of different political mailers were delivered to some Wheeling residents and the majority were negative against mayoral candidates Dennis Magruder, JT Thomas, and Rosemary Ketchum. The mailed flyer concerning Hinebaugh, however, stated that she’s a lifelong Republican who is a true conservative.
“All that is true, but I don’t want anyone to believe I had anything to do with the flyers because I didn’t,” she said. “When they first came out, I was so angry I was shaking, but all of the candidates spoke with each other and thankfully, no one believes I was involved. There’s also been some YouTube videos about most of us, too, and I know complaints have been filed about all of it.
“That’s not why I wanted people to know who I am as far as a candidate for mayor, and that’s why I have been knocking on so many doors and just trying to meet as many people as possible,” Hinebaugh explained. “I don’t know who was behind any of it, but I hope the people in Wheeling understand it had nothing to do with my campaign and are still able to consider me when they vote.”
She spent her Friday evening walking and talking to people in the Elm Terrace area of Elm Grove, and this morning she’s participating in the local Pro Life Walk. After that, the NAMI event and the Food Truck Fest at Heritage Port.
And that’s all by Noon.
“The one thing I can say for sure about all of this is that I learned so much about campaigning and about the city and about the people that I knew, but I had never witnessed myself,” Hinebaugh said. “That’s why I’ve tried to take part in everything I can.
“I really, really like being a part of this community and that’s never going to change, so I’ll keep going out to talk to people until Monday night is over and Election Day is here.”
(This article is a part of the advertising package purchased by the candidate.)
