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WHEELING - Voters in Wheeling’s Ward 4 will decide between two candidates running in the race to become their neighborhood’s next city councilman.
Incumbent Ward 4 Councilman Jerry Sklavounakis is seeking his second term in office and is being challenged by fellow city resident John Prather.
The winner of this race will represent the neighborhoods of Morningside, Clator, Valley View, Leatherwood, Woodsdale, Greggsville and Oglebay.
Sklavounakis, 48, is an attorney by trade and is married with three children. The family members are all Wheeling natives who have lived in Woodsdale since 2010. The current Ward 4 city councilman is currently completing his first term in office and is seeking re-election.
"When I first ran, I ran for a purpose - to make sure our quality of life was not negatively affected," Sklavounakis said, noting that at that time, many neighbors feared that a proposed development on the hillside above Woodsdale would cause problems in the residential area below, where flooding after heavy rains was already an issue for many. "Specifically, we didn’t want to have a rock quarry in our neighborhood. Unfortunately, we saw a lot of water runoff and slips occurring - we need to take into consideration the topography of our neighborhoods.
"I decided to run again because I truly believe in public service. Being on city council is one of the most effective ways of providing public service to myself, my neighbors and my friends. I’m not a politician - I’m a public servant."
Top priorities in the next four years include continued infrastructure projects and dedicating funds toward the city’s long-term Water Pollution Control Plan projects, according to Sklavounakis.
"We need to continue to provide excellent municipal service, such as paving roads and alleys, and continuation of our sewer separation projects," he said. "These infrastructure projects for an aging city like ours are imperative. I think we need to continue providing an excellent quality of life so our young folks - our youth - stay in our community. We need to retain our No. 1 asset - our youth."
Sklavounakis has served as the chairman of the Public Works Committee of Wheeling City Council, and he noted that they fought to have millions of dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funding dedicated to sewer separation projects. He said these long-term investments not only address Environmental Protection Agency mandates, but also significantly help manage stormwater issues in neighborhoods that have experienced problems.
"A lot of people talk about doing stuff - we’re actually doing something that will hopefully effect change to the positive in our neighborhoods," he said. "Those projects are the ones we identified that would have the biggest return on investment and would help with basement flooding now."
Sklavounakis said he believed his experience has given him an edge as the best candidate for the job.
"Being on city council, you really don’t have a full understanding until you do it," he said. "I’ve been able to build a good relationship with city staff, including the city manager, and I’d like to continue to move forward with my effective advocacy for Ward 4 and for the city as a whole."
There has been unprecedented progress in infrastructure improvements over the last four years, including paving of roads and alleys. Sklavounakis helped launch initiatives like downspout daylighting and backflow prevention assistance, as well as the Victorian Homeowner Improvement Program, which help residents invest in what is often their biggest asset - their home.
"One of the big challenges we have facing Wheeling is the economy - jobs, jobs, jobs," Sklavounakis said. "We have to help our small business owners. In Wheeling, just like a lot of cities and municipalities in the state, the largest employees are WVU Medicine, the school system, Walmart and the city. Where are all of the other people working? It’s usually in small businesses. We need to do what we can do to make sure small businesses have all of the tools at their disposal so they can be a success."
Prather, 58, also a resident of Ward 4 in Wheeling, is married with two daughters. He said now that his children have grown into young adults, he has more time to dedicate to public service, and that’s why he is seeking the seat on Wheeling City Council.
"The biggest reason I’m running is that my youngest daughter, Kathryn, has graduated from Wheeling Park," Prather said. "I’ve been going to her soccer games, concerts and all those activities, so now that she's finished, I will have a lot of free time on my hands. I’ve got the free time to do the job right, so that’s the biggest reason I’m running. That's my big advantage - I’ve got time to listen and talk to people."
Some candidates run on a platform that focuses on one particular issue, and oftentimes, that issue gets resolved.
"The question then becomes, ‘What are you doing three years from now when there’s an issue that you haven’t even thought of? How are you going to handle that?’" Prather asked. "I’m currently a math professor at Ohio University as my day job, and I tell people one of the great things about being a math professor is I’ve got to be in front of students about 12 hours a week. Beyond that, I’ve got other work to do, but I’ve got a lot of flexibility in when I do it and how I structure my day. I like to think the combination of time and flexibility that my day job has and being a good problem solver are things we need. I think I’m very well equipped to handle problems we don’t even know exist."
Prather added that listening is key, and he has been listening to a lot of people during this campaign.
"There are a lot of people who feel very strongly about a lot of things," he said. "One thing the city can do, especially with all the construction downtown, is communicate with residents. I think the city doesn't always communicate well with actual business owners and other people affected by the construction. I also don't think communication between the city and the state has been the best. Again, those things take time and energy, and I think we can do better. These communication problems are the sorts of things that people have brought to my attention, which are big things that need to be looked at along with other issues that need to be looked at as well."
Prather said he hasn’t made any campaign promises, aside from his vow to listen to what people have to say.
"The only promise I’ve made to people is that if they reach out to me, I’ll get back to them," Prather said. "I'm not just going to tell them what they want to hear, but I will look into their problem and get back to them. I think that’s a huge advantage."
According to Prather, the biggest issues facing Wheeling right now are navigating the downtown construction and the city’s homeless situation.
"Most candidates are running on these issues because they have some particular agenda they want to accomplish with these two issues or another particular problem," he said. "That’s not me. I’m running because I believe I’m a good problem solver. I’ve got time to solve some problems and at least make things better."
The homeless situation is a good example of this, he said.
"We can’t have people live wherever they want to, because I don’t think it’s good for them or the people that live near them or that have to walk past them," Prather said. "Frankly, at the same time, bulldozing their tents without any plan, which is what happened, is not OK either. I've told people I'm not going to solve this problem, but there are cities all over the country that are working on homelessness, and we can do better.
"I think that’s what I can help the city do - be better than we've been doing. I think there are a lot of other big problems in the city that need longer term solutions that we need to start working on now."
The municipal election takes place May 14. The winner of the Ward 4 race will take office for a four-year term beginning July 1.