Following a Sunday structure blaze on S. York Street on Wheeling Island, Wheeling Ward 2 Councilman Ben Seidler fears additional fires will take place because of a lack of property maintenance on the part of the parcel owners.
That is why Seidler now is delivering a stern message to some owners of rental properties within the city of Wheeling.
“I think my message has been out there since I ran for this position, and it’s been delivered pretty loud and clear,” the elected official said. “I have see incremental improvements in Ward 2 on a daily basis, and I hear that same feedback from our residents also. I think some of the folks who needed to step up and get some things cleaned up have, while others have perhaps taken the approach of seeing how my plans and promises play out before acting.
“It’s no secret that many politicians say what people want to hear during an election season, and then disappear after the election, but I am confident the folks in Ward 2 are seeing that I am not going away, and in the coming months some slumlords will need to decide whether they want to get their properties up to code and provide people with safe and clean housing or if they want to get out of the game here in Wheeling,” Seidler explained. “That day is coming soon. Spring is coming soon. Those who are blowing off the warnings to clean up their properties should enjoy the rest of the winter because it will be like shock-and-awe here come spring. They should probably start advertising to hire cleanup crews now because it’s going to suddenly be much cheaper to pay their own crew than to pay the city to do it for them.”
Sad but True
While code enforcement officers in Wheeling have the ability to enforce things like the length of grass and weeds, abandoned vehicles, illegal dumping, and parking, it is not until a dwelling has fallen into a significant state of disrepair that that Wheeling’s municipal government can issue a raze-or-repair order to a private property owner.
In many cases, however, members of the city’s administration then must attempt to communicate with individuals or company officials that are located far from their problematic property.
“Ugly isn’t illegal,” Seidler said, “but unsafe properties, grossly out of compliance, littered with trash, etc., are, and there are some ugly houses in neighborhoods like Woodsdale, Oakmont, Elm Grove, Edgewood, and Pleasanton, but those neighborhoods still maintain their property values.
“Why? Because they are clean, safe, and have the reputations of being nice neighborhoods,” he continued. “Ward 2 has just as many beautiful houses. We just need to clean it up and make ours clean and safe also.”
Some sections of the city are riddled with abandoned residential and commercial structures, and through the years Wheeling Island has evolved into one of them. Despite efforts made by members of the Wheeling Island Community Association and past council representatives, there are more vacant lots on the north and south ends than anyone current Wheeling resident has ever seen.
“There are enough of these properties on each and every block that negatively affect the quality of life of the neighbors, perpetuate the negative stigma about Wheeling Island, and destroy our property values,” Seidler explained. “I would also say that the majority of these properties in which the exteriors are not maintained are largely rental properties owned by slumlords who clearly treat their properties here as disposable commodities. Instead of investing in these properties some of these slumlords will just use and abuse them until the city intervenes once they have exceeded their useful life.
“Slumlords know that it is cheaper to let the city clean up the trash than do it themselves,” he insisted. “There are also some residential property owners that are to blame, but the overwhelming number of these properties are owned by slumlords.”
Frustrations Boil Over
Two years prior to the June 9 municipal election Seidler created a website with his goals and a list of initiatives he promised to propose if elected over the ward’s incumbent, Ken Imer, and three other opponents. Not only was Seidler successful, his 274 votes distanced him by more than 100 ballots from the closest opponent.
And since, Seidler hasn’t stopped engaging his constituents not only on Wheeling Island, but in the North Wheeling and Fulton neighborhoods, and that includes standing up for residents who are making efforts to improve their properties.
“That’s why, when I heard all the sirens, I turned on the scanner and heard where it was, so I grabbed a few blankets and ran out the door to make sure the elderly folks next door were OK.,” he explained. “It just so happened that a news reporter was on the scene of the fire and snagged me for an interview. I vented for a moment about how ridiculous it is that we continue to deal with these problem properties on the Island, which as you can tell from the scene of the fire, affected so many people. I hadn’t really considered that I would be giving an interview, or I probably would have considered my response a little further.
“But I speak up and work closely with our city manager, city solicitor, and code enforcement officers multiple times throughout each week as we continue to fight this battle. They continue to fully support the clean-up efforts, and the active projects and plans that we have in the pipeline to address these issues are moving forward in a way that I am excited about and proud of,” Seidler added. “People warned me over the last couple of years that I would not be happy with the speed in which city government works, but I can tell you in the past six months I have seen an incredible amount of progress. That tells me we have hit the ground running, and the city has been fully onboard from Day 1.”
