(Publisher’s Note: This is the first in a series of seven articles that will offer overviews of the six Wheeling wards and the race for the mayor’s position when voters complete voting in the municipal election on June 9. Early voting begins today, but absentee ballots were mailed more than two weeks ago because of the coronavirus pandemic.)
When most Wheeling residents think of Ward 1, the majority envisions only the Warwood community and not North Wheeling or North Park.
Those three neighborhoods, however, have been included in the city’s first ward since re-districting took place while former mayor Andy McKenzie was in office from 2008-20016. The three areas are predominantly residential, but the ward also features commercial and industrial properties, as well.
On the Ballot
Ward 1 was represented for 12 years by the late Gloria Delbrugge, a spitfire council member who persistently demanded more police protection for the Warwood area. She retired from the position four years ago and passed away in December 2017 at the age of 75. Current council member Chad Thalman was elected in 2016 and is running for re-election.
Thalman, a resident of Warwood and a member of management for Warwood Armature, is being challenged by John Bishop, a candidate whose name has been on the ballot now on three occasions. Bishop is an over-the-road truck driver who has owned homes in Warwood and currently in North Park. Bishop also volunteers for the Salvation Army on 16th Street in East Wheeling and is active with the Wheeling Park Athletic Boosters.
Just Fine and the Fixes
The Warwood neighborhood features Garden Park, a public facility complete with a city pool, a ball field, a brand new playground, and a large green space with a stage and gazebo. The neighborhood also is home to Wheeling Fire Station 9, a couple more ball fields, the Warwood Plaza, a stretch of the Wheeling Heritage Trail along the Ohio River, a boat dock, and a combined elementary and middle schools.
Warwood also has benefited an organization called, “Grow Warwood Pride,” a group comprised of residents who have initiated several improvement projects throughout the neighborhood, including fence painting at Garden Park and a food distribution system for students of Warwood School.
North Wheeling is one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods with both beautifully restored and dilapidated structures, and North Park is a residential development constructed beginning in the 1970s and features homes of all sizes, public housing, and is surrounded by shifting, former landfills.
