#wheelingcouncil

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

If you ask Alex Coogan a question, he’s more than happy to answer you even if he knows you’re not going to like it. And it doesn’t really matter who you are. “When I say I’m going to get something done, that’s what I do, and even the city officials who have to deal with me know that,” Coogan said. “But now my city has a mayor who still won’t talk to me, and it’s hilarious. He shuns me in public, and I just have to chuckle because it’s only because I disagreed with him on a few things. “But what are you supposed to do when something is wrong? Stay silent like the mayor and the Council members want us to be? This city can’t afford to keep taking it on the chin,” he said. “This city has lost so much, and sure when (Andy) McKenzie was the mayor, we finally saw some growth, but what have we seen for the past four years? I’m always going to be outspoken about the lack of progress and therefore a lack of good leadership from the top to the bottom.”

His first business was Reliable Appliance, and the company has grown since.

Potholes Not Playgrounds?

In other words, Coogan will not change his approach, his message, or his belief that his proposed initiatives not only will improve Ward 2 but the rest of the city, too. It is his belief the vacant building registry needs to be repealed to return urgency for property owners to either improve them or sell them to someone who will, and Coogan remains steadfast that potholes and not playgrounds should be a priority near the top of Council’s list. “I’m going to go about this campaign saying what I know, and I am going to share my opinions about how we can finally improve the important things to the people of this city,” he said. “If I make people mad along the way, well, it won’t be the first time that's happened.” Coogan owns several businesses under the “Reliable” brand, including a lawn service, appliance sales and repair, and small engine repair. He also serves as the property manager for Monoceros Properties, and he owns rental properties of his own. The new Eden Family Restaurant at 135 Virginia St. in Wheeling, in fact, is yet another venture with which Coogan is involved, and it is an eatery that welcomes children and refuses the negative influences that have led to business failures at the location for the past several years. “I’m not afraid to speak my mind, and if it makes people mad, so be it because most people refuse to take up an issue or any cause,” Coogan insisted “That’s because they’re nervous about doing it because attorneys aren’t cheap. But I’m not one of those people, and Ward 2 is where I live, and I want to work to make things better on a day-to-day basis.”

Coogan and his business partners recently opened Eden Family Restaurant at 135 Virginia St. in Wheeling Island.

Coogan for Mayor 2016?

He was one of four candidates for the mayor’s office in Wheeling, but candidates Gene Fahey and Glenn Elliott expended more than $20,000 collectively, and Coogan and fellow Wheeling Island residents spent a few bucks on yard signs and a few trinkets. This time, though, Coogan opted to join a crowded race that includes four other candidates, including incumbent Councilman Ken Imer. “I decided not to run for mayor again because I didn’t want to become a figurehead,” Coogan explained. “I’d rather be equipped to vote for Ward 2 after working with the people of the ward to make sure that vote represents them. If the voters selected me and a few of the other very good candidates, we’ll be able to change the direction of this city so we can finally improve it." “I thought I was going to the State of the City (last week), but then after that food truck disaster, I decided not to go because I can’t stand to be lied to by the saddest sacks who have ever tried to lead,” he continued. “I’ve tried to stay calm and be respectful, but that food truck issue is just ridiculous. I know they said they are going to revisit it, and that’s fine, but to me, the damage is done. Someone cried, and then they did what they did totally under the radar until someone noticed. That’s just wrong.” So, if it took place outside his brick-and-mortar, Eden, on Wheeling Island? “If I can’t sell a burger that people want to order and a food truck has a better one, come set up right outside our door, and I will welcome you. I don’t care about this stupid ordinance, and I’ll stand right next to you, too,” Coogan said. “The way that ordinance reads, the food truck folks really can’t set up anywhere, and that will just drive them away from this city. “The mayor should have just set fire to their food trucks and called it even,” he said. “Oh, but now, they’ll be happy to revisit it? That’s only because they finally realized they screwed up in an election year, and it will just go with everything else they are now rushing through because it is an election year. You vote for me and just know that my votes will be for the good of the city and not because it’s an election year.”

Coogan has been an Island resident for many years, and he's proud of that fact.

Shhh, Alex?

If you ask Alex Coogan a question, he’s more than happy to answer you even if he knows you’re not going to like it. And it doesn’t really matter who you are. “When I say I’m going to get something done, that’s what I do, and even the city officials who have to deal with me know that,” Coogan said. “But now my city has a mayor who still won’t talk to me, and it’s hilarious. He shuns me in public, and I just have to chuckle because it’s only because I disagreed with him on a few things. “But what are you supposed to do when something is wrong? Stay silent like the mayor and the Council members want us to be? This city can’t afford to keep taking it on the chin,” he said. “This city has lost so much, and sure when (Andy) McKenzie was the mayor, we finally saw some growth, but what have we seen for the past four years? I’m always going to be outspoken about the lack of progress and therefore a lack of good leadership from the top to the bottom.”

His first business was Reliable Appliance, and the company has grown since.

Potholes Not Playgrounds?

In other words, Coogan will not change his approach, his message, or his belief that his proposed initiatives not only will improve Ward 2 but the rest of the city, too. It is his belief the vacant building registry needs to be repealed to return urgency for property owners to either improve them or sell them to someone who will, and Coogan remains steadfast that potholes and not playgrounds should be a priority near the top of Council’s list. “I’m going to go about this campaign saying what I know, and I am going to share my opinions about how we can finally improve the important things to the people of this city,” he said. “If I make people mad along the way, well, it won’t be the first time that's happened.” Coogan owns several businesses under the “Reliable” brand, including a lawn service, appliance sales and repair, and small engine repair. He also serves as the property manager for Monoceros Properties, and he owns rental properties of his own. The new Eden Family Restaurant at 135 Virginia St. in Wheeling, in fact, is yet another venture with which Coogan is involved, and it is an eatery that welcomes children and refuses the negative influences that have led to business failures at the location for the past several years. “I’m not afraid to speak my mind, and if it makes people mad, so be it because most people refuse to take up an issue or any cause,” Coogan insisted “That’s because they’re nervous about doing it because attorneys aren’t cheap. But I’m not one of those people, and Ward 2 is where I live, and I want to work to make things better on a day-to-day basis.”

Coogan and his business partners recently opened Eden Family Restaurant at 135 Virginia St. in Wheeling Island.

Coogan for Mayor 2016?

He was one of four candidates for the mayor’s office in Wheeling, but candidates Gene Fahey and Glenn Elliott expended more than $20,000 collectively, and Coogan and fellow Wheeling Island residents spent a few bucks on yard signs and a few trinkets. This time, though, Coogan opted to join a crowded race that includes four other candidates, including incumbent Councilman Ken Imer. “I decided not to run for mayor again because I didn’t want to become a figurehead,” Coogan explained. “I’d rather be equipped to vote for Ward 2 after working with the people of the ward to make sure that vote represents them. If the voters selected me and a few of the other very good candidates, we’ll be able to change the direction of this city so we can finally improve it." “I thought I was going to the State of the City (last week), but then after that food truck disaster, I decided not to go because I can’t stand to be lied to by the saddest sacks who have ever tried to lead,” he continued. “I’ve tried to stay calm and be respectful, but that food truck issue is just ridiculous. I know they said they are going to revisit it, and that’s fine, but to me, the damage is done. Someone cried, and then they did what they did totally under the radar until someone noticed. That’s just wrong.” So, if it took place outside his brick-and-mortar, Eden, on Wheeling Island? “If I can’t sell a burger that people want to order and a food truck has a better one, come set up right outside our door, and I will welcome you. I don’t care about this stupid ordinance, and I’ll stand right next to you, too,” Coogan said. “The way that ordinance reads, the food truck folks really can’t set up anywhere, and that will just drive them away from this city. “The mayor should have just set fire to their food trucks and called it even,” he said. “Oh, but now, they’ll be happy to revisit it? That’s only because they finally realized they screwed up in an election year, and it will just go with everything else they are now rushing through because it is an election year. You vote for me and just know that my votes will be for the good of the city and not because it’s an election year.”

Coogan has been an Island resident for many years, and he's proud of that fact.

Shhh, Alex?