After six years of serving as the council representative for Wheeling’s Ward 6, Dave Palmer hopes to be elected as an Ohio County commissioner in November.
Palmer filed earlier today at the Ohio County Courthouse in District 3 and could challenge incumbent Randy Wharton if the councilman wins the Republican primary in May. Wharton has been a member of the Commission for 23 years and currently serves as the body’s president. He was raised in Wheeling, is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, and owns and operates Wharton Auto Center in Elm Grove.
Palmer is a 30-year veteran of the Wheeling firefighters and has continued serving the public on the city council and with his employment since his retirement nearly a decade ago.
“I filed to run for a seat on the Ohio County Commission because I love serving on Wheeling City Council, and I love serving the public,” Palmer said. “Back in 1981, there were three commissioners who took a chance on a young 20-year-old and hired him as a deputy sheriff in Ohio County, and that put me on my path of public service. After that I was a member of the Wheeling Fire Department until I retired, and then I was with the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley.
“Now I am working for Ohio County Schools, so each job I’ve had has allowed me to serve the public, and now I would like to expand outside the sixth ward in the city of Wheeling and be an Ohio County commissioner,” he said. “My main goal as an Ohio County commissioner would be to think outside The Highlands. Now, The Highlands is a spectacular development, and I take nothing away from the commissioners who made it a huge success, but I believe it’s time to look outside of it.”
109 Square Miles
While Wheeling is Ohio County’s lone municipality, there are two towns (Triadelphia and West Liberty), three villages (Bethlehem, Clearview, Valley Grove), and an estimated population of about 42,500 citizens.
The county has lost residents for the past 80 years after recording more than 73,000 in 1940, so there are several areas where additional housing can be constructed, and new residents added. That is why Palmer’s focus when initially joining Wheeling Council was infrastructure, and why it will remain that way if elected in November.
“I was fortunate enough to be on a committee with Commissioner Zach Abraham for the anniversary of the airport, and it made me realize the airport is an asset that we have that we are not utilizing enough,” Palmer said. “I’m also interested in figuring out how we can provide better infrastructure throughout the county because that’s been one of my focuses for the city. We still have half-million-dollar homes being built with septic systems.
“I’d like to see if I can help correct that problem,” he said. “Right now, when someone thinks about Ohio County, they think about The Highlands, but I would like to help people realize there’s much more to it like the city of Wheeling, the towns of Triadelphia, Clearview, Valley Grove, West Liberty, and Bethlehem. I want them to think about those small communities, too. That’s why I believe it’s time to focus on Ohio County as a whole and not just one particular area.”
When someone hears or reads the term “infrastructure,” they think only of roads, bridges, sewers, and water mains, but Palmer is aware there’s much more to it.
“One thing we definitely found out when the stay-at-orders were in place was that we have a lot of areas in Ohio County without Internet service, and that made it difficult for a lot of children to participate in virtual schooling,” Palmer said. “We have some remote areas in our county where it’s just not possible because the infrastructure has never been put into place.
“Now, the last thing I want to do is infringe on someone who wants to live that way, but I would like to help make it an option in those areas,” he said. “But if expanding access to broadband is successful, it opens up opportunities for children and adults alike.”
The Trail
In 2018 and 2020, two incumbent commissioners were defeated in Ohio County.
Four years ago, Commissioner Don Nickerson won against the late Orphy Klempa for the second magisterial district seat, and in 2020 Abraham beat Tim McCormick for the first-district position. When Abraham had to campaign against the long-time incumbent, though, it was when mandated precautions were in place by order of W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice.
That is why Palmer has yet to formulate his approach to campaigning.
“Reaching the residents is a lot different these days, and right now we don’t know where we’re going to be at as far as the pandemic is concerned. People could be uncomfortable with a lot of door-to-door visits,” Palmer said. “I will tell you that I am not a fan of mass mailings, but I am a fan of getting out there and talking with as many people as I can.
“So, I will figure out how to do that in a safe way so I can go out and connect with the citizens of Ohio County,” the council member said. “That way I can find what’s most important, and that is to find out what they want.”
