WHEELING, W.Va. — Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott delivered his final state of the city address Tuesday evening at Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack.
The Mayor said there’s no perfect definition for what makes a city great, but he believes that Wheeling is indeed great and has the right “ingredients.”
“A great city must afford safety and security, a strong infrastructure, a high quality of life, diverse job and housing opportunities, cultural vibrancy, a sense of community. openness and inclusivity and strategic urban planning,” Elliott said. “I hope I can at least make the case that Wheeling is checking a lot of those boxes.”
Among the many things that Mayor Elliott spoke highly about was the city’s public safety. He told the hundreds in attendance for his speech that crime is down in Wheeling.
“We have a historically low crime rate for a city our size, especially when it comes to violent crime.” Mayor Elliott said. “We do a very good job in the city when it comes to keeping the public safe.”
With investments made into public safety, the Wheeling Police Department unveiled their new headquarters recently and Elliott said the fire department will hopefully do the same later this year.
“Public safety has always been a strength in our city, but because of these critical investments in these new facilities, we’ve given our first responders the tools that they need to make sure that this community asset never becomes a liability,” said Elliott.
The Mayor gave credit to the city council for allowing these facilities to be built and open for Wheeling’s first responders. He called these buildings more suited for the modern world.
Another important topic of discussion during Elliott’s state of the city address was the ongoing downtown Streetscape Project. He said despite the project experiencing delays, it’ll be worth it in the end.
“The past two city councils have been on a very quiet but very steady mission to repave the rest of the city,” Elliott said. “Let’s try to be patient during the next 18-24 months until this project is completed.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was in the city last week to visit and take a look at the $32 million Streetscape Project. Half of the project’s financing comes from a federal RAISE grant.
Elliott told listeners that while some roads still haven’t been repaved, residents can expect them to be paved soon as the ones that the city deemed to be in the worst condition were addressed first.
On top of that, Elliott said city council is making sure there are plenty of job and housing opportunities to help with a growing population. He said the investments in the city have been working and people are taking notice.
“Just last month, Fortune Magazine ranked Wheeling as the top city in West Virginia, and the 33rd city in the nation for families,” Elliott said.
Elliott’s second term as Mayor comes to an end in the Spring of 2024.
“It has been the honor of my life to stand here these past 7 years and share this space with so many people who love the city of Wheeling,” he said.