After more than 35 years as the general manager of Wheeling’s civic center, Denny Magruder finally retired in October 2022, and that’s when he finally had the time to look around the city he loves.
He didn’t like what he saw either.
The city was home to 47,000 residents when Magruder was hired to run the arena in 1987, but when he retired three years ago, the city had lost 20,000 in taxpaying population, the downtown area was badly in need of the streetscape project instigated by former mayor Andy McKenzie, and the median age had swollen to 48 years old because so many moved away.
“We all know the city of Wheeling is never going to be the Wheeling of yesterday. Wheeling of 2025 will never revert back to Wheeling of 1976 or 1986 no matter how hard everyone wishes it would. Those of us who were around really enjoyed those days because it was a simpler time when there were more people, more commerce, and more vibrancy,” Magruder said. “But today’s Wheeling has a lot going for it because the world has changed and we’re doing our best to change with it.
“We have much more live music gatherings and our festivals remain strong. We’re doing our best to address our population loss, and that’s something that’s been impacting this entire valley for many years because of the loss of industry. Let’s not kid ourselves, those things aren’t coming back anytime soon,” he said. “But we see growth happening here with the new medical facility in Center Wheeling and the development that follows that project. Those are steps in the right direction.”
Magruder and his wife, Barbara, are some of the lucky ones because their two daughters and son were able to make a life for themselves a nd their families, and Terri, Jennifer, and Rob are his biggest fans, critics, and informants when an issue needs his attention.
“There’s been a lot of good. I think we’ve passed some good legislation, like the Pedestrian Safety Act, and the PODA ordinance that I believe will bring people together in our downtown,” Magruder explained. “We’ve been suffering the pains of this streescape, I know, but it’s also given us the time to get ready for when it’s completed and we’re ready to move forward and support those downtown businesses.
“The streetscape has been ugly for a lot of us. The businesses and the residents have been impacted in a lot of negative ways, and the City has done some things to try to help,” he said. “The streetscape has been more intricate and very much more complex, than it was supposed to be, and it’s taking a lot longer than what we expected. But it’s not because someone did a bad job. It’s because of how difficult it all was because of the age of what’s underneath the surface. But this fall, we should be good.”
Sis, Boom, Bah!
He was ready to be the city’s loudest cheerleader.
That was one of Magruder’s main messages on the campaign trail, but now that he’s served in the mayor’s seat for more than a year, he’s come to realize there’s much more involved. He’s mended the City’s relationships with state and federal officials, adopted the Military Banner Program thanks to John Larch, and the Mayor has been focused on public and private development.
And no worries – Magruder waves those pom-poms as often as possible.
“The mayor in Wheeling does a lot of organizing and overseeing the council meetings, but, yes, they also have to be a cheerleader and an ambassador for the city,” Magruder said. “You’re the voice and the face of the city, and you have to be out there telling people what we’re doing right and where we’re going and not always talking about what’s wrong and what mistakes were made years ago.
“I think if I rated my first year, I’d give myself a seven,” he said. “That’s because I believe you can always do better, and that means we have to push ourselves. I hit the ground running and we’re addressing a lot of things to make the city a better place to live for our citizens, and we have a great city staff. I knew they were great when I ran, but after working with them for a year, I can tell you we have some pretty amazing people working for us here in Wheeling.”
Along with the mayor, Wheeling’s City Council consists of seven representatives from six wards, and two current members (Dave Palmer – 6, and Ty Thorngate – 5) are serving their third four-year terms, two (Ben Seidler – 2, and Jerry Sklavounakis – 4) are in their second, and Tony Assora (Ward 1) and Connie Cain (Ward 3) are new and still learning the ropes.
But they work together, and that’s what Magruder appreciates the most.
“I have been extremely happy with the Council we have during my first year because they are very passionate about Wheeling. That’s number one with all of them,” Magruder said. “They’re passionate about their wards and they fight for their neighborhoods with a lot of knowledge.
“That means we have a very strong team that’s working hard so Wheeling can take the next steps we need to take to remain viable. That’s what’s most important,” he explained. “We’re working with everyone who steps forward, and we hope even more people do the same. I really believe Wheeling is everyone’s city.”
Quality of life, residential retention, pride – those were Magruder’s Top 3 goals heading into his first year.
Year 2?
“Our first responsibility is always to our 27,000-plus people who live there today. We want to make sure we retain the good quality of life and that we give them the best advantages we can,” Magruder said. “After that, we can look forward to growing, and we’ve seen growth with what the Carl brothers have done on the corner of 10th and Main, and with the construction of the DiCarlo building.
“Building owners have worked on their properties, we’re hoping we see movement on the Wheeling-Pitt Lofts soon, and with the opening of Waterfront Hall and all of the improvements to River City, the downtown is moving along,” the mayor said. “Of course, we’re hoping the plans for the new hotel and the Wheeling-Pitt loft project move forward in the future, and we have to take care of our neighborhoods, too.”
