#ward4

Crissy Clutter planned to go door-to-door with the goal of knocking on every residence in Ward 4. That hasn’t happened, though, thanks to the stay-at-home order issued by W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice in mid-March. Instead, the former media member has placed campaign signs, welcomed interviews, and this past Friday Clutter also hosted a question-and-answer session on Facebook for more than 20 minutes. And, if you are a resident of Ward 4, expect the phone to ring with Clutter on the other end. “I started collecting phone numbers of the ward’s residents from my supporters, my family, and by extended invitations to the voters by posting my cell number on the Facebook page,” Clutter explained. “I was really looking forward to knocking on all of the doors and discussing the issues with the residents. I know what I feel is important, but that’s just me. “Ward 4 is a big ward with a lot of different areas, and that means there different problems in each area,” the candidate explained. “I have lived in Woodsdale, and we live in Clator now, so I am very familiar with those areas, but I want to speak with people from all over so we can address their concerns where they live.”

A lot of debris was left behind along Elm Street after several downpours drenched the city of Wheeling in early March.

The Concerns

The proposed mix-village development atop Woodsdale Hill is, of course, one topic Clutter has heard about, but those phone calls have included conversations about flooding, traffic, dilapidation, crime, and street repair, too. “The idea for the hilltop gets a lot of attention, and I can understand why,” Clutter said. “It’s a big deal to a lot of residents, especially with those who live on the street below that hill. I have studied the complete proposal and I still have a lot of questions that I haven’t been able to get the answers to yet because of the pandemic, but the residents deserve to know those answers. “Flooding is another topic that comes up a lot because of the weather and the rain that we have had this spring,” she said. “For some of the people in Ward 4, the flooding is a new issue, but in some areas it has been an issue for several years and they are very frustrated and I can understand why.” After nearly two decades working in the television media in the Upper Ohio Valley, the Charleston area, and in Pittsburgh, Clutter feels she is well versed with how a municipal government operates and that Ward 4 residents would benefit from her experience. “Since I worked for both of the television stations here in the Upper Ohio Valley, I covered a lot council meetings and the issues being handled,” she explained. “When I reach a resident on the phone, they recognize my name and I think that makes them feel comfortable. “I learned a lot during my career, and that familiarity is one of the reasons why I decided to run in Ward 4,” Clutter continued. “If I am successful, I am sure there will still be a learning curve, but I feel I’m ahead of the game.”

Clutter was a media member for more than 20 years.

Still Wants to Knock

She had not yet started knocking on doors in Wheeling’s Ward 4, and now candidate Crissy Clutter is wondering what the next step might be. There’s that “stay at home” order to consider and also the fact confirmed cases of COVID-19 coronavirus have taken place in Ohio County, so going door-to-door isn’t an option. Campaign signs are good, but now they will be seen far less frequently than ever before because of the governor’s mandates. “I did put out about 60 signs over the weekend because right now no one seems to know what’s going to happen and how the voting will take place,” Clutter said. “I’m just moving forward as if most things are normal, but I was planning to knock on doors, and that’s not possible right now. “I know I’m going to use social media to reach out to the people of Ward 4, but I also know not everyone is on Facebook and Twitter and platforms like that,” she continued. “I know my mother has an a Facebook page, but she may sign on once every three or four days, and my grandmother doesn’t have an account, so we doesn’t see anything that's posted on there by the council members or the mayor. I’m the one who tells her about those things.”

Clutter has participated in many community events, including the Over the Edge event that benefited the Wheeling YWCA.

Extending the Reach

She knows many of her neighbors and several of her best friends own homes within the Ward 4 borders. Asking them to acquire telephone numbers for ward residents is one idea, and the other is to put her cell number out to the public so others have the opportunity to reach out to her. Clutter’s cell number is 304-280-3414, and she would like it to be shared as much as possible. “Anyone who lives in Ward 4 should feel to call me to talk about the issues that they have their mind,” the candidate said. “I know that the hilltop in Woodsdale is what a lot of people have been concentrating on, but I am fully aware that we have issues in every part of Ward 4. There are sewer issues, intersection issues, and there’s the weight limit on the Washington Avenue Bridge that's causing our fire department to take different routes to help our residents. “I made the decision to run because I want to make my home a better place,” Clutter said. “I know that sounds corny, but I’m married now, and I’m a new mother, too, so when I say that to people, I hope they know that I’m just being honest. I worked in the media for several years, and I have covered a lot of stories in this ward, so I am already familiar with a lot of that history. I believe that experience will help a great deal if I’m elected.”

A few years ago, the worn paths were easy to see from satellites, but these days this hilltop is once again grown over.

That Hilltop

Clutter is a reporter by nature, so she has all of those who-what-where-why-when questions constantly floating in her mind. So, when it comes to the proposed development atop Woodsdale Hill, Clutter knows the who and the where, but in her opinion so many more questions need answered before she can develop any honest stance on the project. “What’s causing the problems that some of the residents have reported? What work was performed on that hill before the project was shut down? Why are people divided over it when most of the hilltops in the area have retail areas or home on top of them? Those are some of the questions I have now,” Clutter said. “And I am sure I’ll have more questions once I really get into it.”

Proposal Presented

GC&P Development proposed several years ago a mixed-use village that would include both residential and commercial properties. When the developers approach the city’s Planning Commission, they shared only surface information because of local competition. The project would involve the leveling of the hilltop on the north side, and removing sandstone and other materials would be included, as well. “I have been invited to go to the top of the hill by the developers, so I plan to do that when it’s possible again,” Clutter said. “And I want to go to the areas where residents have said they’ve experienced problems. I believe that’s what a council representative is supposed to do. See it for yourself. “I also think the city needs to have an impartial person who knows the engineering that’s involved here so we can just hear facts from him or her,” she said. “A candidate or a council member can say what they want, but without an expert’s opinion, how could anyone make a truly informed decision?”

Clutter has worked for several TV stations as a reporter, and she has covered Wheeling Council on many occasions.

An Odd Endorsement

It was awkward and embarrassing, Clutter believes, but not for her but instead for the soon-to-be-former council representative Wendy Scatterday. The date was March 10, and there was a forum hosted by the leaders of Temple Shalom on the corner of Edgwood Street and Bethany Pike. The three candidates for the vacated seat, Clutter, Jeff Knierim, and Jerry Sklavounakis, were present along with a respectful number of residents from Ward 4, and each candidate was invited to speak with the collected crowd. According to Clutter, it was during Knierim’s turn in the front of the room when Scatterday suddenly offered her endorsement for Sklavounakis. “Jeff was the one who was standing in the front of the room and was in the middle of speaking when she just stood up and interrupted. I really felt bad for him,” Clutter recalled. “I really did feel bad for Jeff because I didn’t realize we were going to have dirty politics in a city race. I didn’t think something like that was going to happen. “I had never heard of a city council candidate getting endorsed by a current council member or by anyone else for that matter,” Clutter said. “During my career, I covered council races in all 55 counties in West Virginia, and I’ve also worked in Pittsburgh, and never have I heard of such a thing. Now, I understand that she has every right to endorse whomever she wants, but I do not believe it was done very professionally, and I also thought it was kind of mean, too, and not necessarily toward me but toward Jeff.”

Reaction and Response

MICHAEL THOMAS SICILIANO – WARD 4

https://soundcloud.com/radioplasma/michael-thomas-siciliano-ward-4

Michael Thomas Siciliano is a candidate for Ward 4 at Holyoke City Council.

On this conversation, he addresses his continuous interest on joining local government, in hopes of improve the public service, putting politics aside, and taking care of the issues that are of concern for neighbours and constituents.

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LIBBY HERNANDEZ – WARD 4

https://soundcloud.com/radioplasma/libby-hernandez-ward-4

Libby Hernandez is a candidate for Ward 4 at Holyoke  City Council. In this session of the series “Know Your Candidates”, we discuss her reasons to run for City Council, the priorities she sees in the city and Ward 4 to take action on, and we got to know more about her personal and professional background and experience.

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