McKinley Presented Key to City of Wheeling
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WHEELING - Former U.S. Congressman David McKinley received a key to the city of Wheeling on Tuesday night, when he was praised for his service to the community and for his unwavering bipartisanship while in office.
Members of Wheeling City Council presented McKinley with the honor during their meeting Tuesday night, when members of McKinley’s family joined him for the special recognition.
Mayor Glenn Elliott, whose second and final term in office ends at the end of this month, indicated that opportunities to present keys to the city were fleeting for him.
"With only two city council meetings left, I couldn’t think of anybody more deserving than Congressman McKinley," Elliott said, describing him as a true advocate for the Wheeling community.
A native of the city, McKinley served in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 1980 to 1994, chaired the West Virginia Republican Party from 1990 to 1994 and represented West Virginia’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2023.
Elliott, who is currently running as the Democratic nominee in the U.S. Senate race, said that despite his political differences with the longtime GOP lawmaker, he was always able to find common ground with McKinley - whether that commonality centered on the love for historic architecture or the drive to do something to make the Wheeling community better.
"When you find things that you do agree on and you see someone’s passion for something, you really get to know somebody," Elliott said, noting that he worked to gain mutual respect between himself and McKinley when he first took office as a political newcomer.
"When I got elected mayor, his office was so great to work with time and time again - we would turn to them for help," Elliott said. "It’s something we haven’t seen since he left the House, quite frankly, from his successor. We haven’t seen that same level of representation and support."
In a day and age when politics has become "so nasty and personal," Elliott noted that McKinley was known as being a "force for bipartisanship" throughout his time in Washington.
"I believe he was ranked as the 21st or 22nd most bipartisan member of the House," Elliott said.
"It was the 10th ... but who’s counting?" McKinley corrected him, stirring laughter in the audience.
"But I know in some circles, bipartisanship is a dirty word," said the mayor. "We’re supposed to be looking out for our own team - our own tribe. And that’s unfortunate, because what we do need is a willingness to maybe have our differences but still find things we can agree on and get things done."
Former U.S. Rep. David McKinley speaks before Wheeling City Council on Tuesday night before being presented a key to the city. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
Following the 2020 U.S. Census, West Virginia lost a seat in the House, and the redistricting that followed saw McKinley and fellow Congressman Alex Mooney both running for the newly redrawn 2nd District seat in West Virginia. Mooney, also a Republican, won the nomination in the 2022 primary. Opponents of McKinley used his vote on a bipartisan infrastructure bill against him, Elliott noted, adding that the bill "has benefitted this community immensely." But McKinley’s willingness to break with his party was viewed as his downfall.
"It’s unfortunate that votes like that cost you your seat," Elliott told him. "But the McKinley name has always stood for something in the community, and you have always been a great steward of that name."
McKinley accepted the key to the city and noted that no one has to win an election in order to stand tall and to make a difference.
"Public service goes beyond elected offices - it’s just doing things to help out in your community," McKinley said. "All of us need to find ways to provide help to other people, and not just in elected positions."
His family does this now, and has done it for centuries, McKinley indicated, pointing to his family tree’s deep roots in the Wheeling community that date back to the late 1700s.
McKinley said he was proud of his many years of service in the state Legislature and in Congress.
"Then I get thrown out because I’m bipartisan?" he said. "I’m trying to work to get things done - to work across the aisle with Republicans and Democrats. But I’m proud of that."
He said the biggest rewards come from efforts that truly make the community a better place, and those efforts don’t necessarily come from a political pulpit - they come from the heart.
"Caring for Wheeling, caring for this community and caring for our state - I just hope you all can continue that in your mission and what you’re all trying to do," he said.
Former U.S. Rep. David McKinley speaks before Wheeling City Council on Tuesday night before being presented a key to the city. (Photo by Eric Ayres)