Photo by Eric Ayres Former Wheeling mayors gather Friday with outgoing Mayor Glenn Elliott and incoming Mayor Denny Magruder, who takes office on Monday. From left are Magruder; Jack Lipphardt, Nick Sparachane and Andy McKenzie; current Mayor Glenn Elliott; and John E. “Jack” Fahey.

WHEELING — A new chapter in Wheeling’s history will begin next week when the new mayor and council take the oath of office, but this weekend, leaders from the city’s past gathered to look back on the building blocks that helped lead the city to the renaissance that is unfolding.

Four former Wheeling mayors joined outgoing Mayor Glenn Elliott (2016-24) and Mayor-elect Denny Magruder on Friday night at Waterfront Hall for a unique meeting of men who led the Friendly City through different periods of its recent past.

Former Mayor Nick Sparachane (2000-08) coordinated the rare assembly of mayors, which also included Andy McKenzie (2008-16), Jack Lipphardt (1992-2000) and John E. “Jack” Fahey (1975-79).

“This is the first time it’s ever been done,” Elliott said of the gathering. “It shows that what you do as mayor, in some respects, you stand on the shoulders of people who came before you. A lot of the activity we’re seeing out on Water Street is a direct result of the plan and vision from decades ago.”

The reconstruction of the “Mt. Rushmore” of Wheeling’s recent history took place across from Heritage Port — a site that not long ago was a hulking, unattractive parking garage.

“Jack Lipphardt worked on this whole idea of tearing down the Wharf garage, which was very unpopular at the time — but look at the waterfront we have now,” Elliott said.

“And now we’re sitting in Waterfront Hall which is a new investment taking advantage of that, we’re looking forward to a new hotel that’s going to be built on Water Street. All that vision starts years ago, and each mayor and council builds on what came before.”

Sparachane said every mayor at the table Friday had a belief in the city when he took the baton from the mayor before him and worked hard to make progress before the next mayor took office. And today, the city of Wheeling — with millions of dollars in public and private investments taking place — is poised for an exciting new chapter in its history, the mayors noted.

“Everybody here had something to do with where we are today,” said Sparachane, who thought the gathering would be a great welcome to Magruder before he takes the helm as the next mayor of Wheeling on Monday. “We also wanted to share our vision with Denny and perhaps give him the capability to call us. Because we’ve all had plans. We’ve all had ideas, and they’re documented. So, I thought it would be good for Denny to have the opportunity to talk to all of us, and in the future to talk to all of us.”

Magruder is no stranger to the assembly of former Wheeling leaders. In fact, he’s worked with all of them over the years. The longtime executive director of the Greater Wheeling Sports and Entertainment Authority venues of the Capitol Theatre and WesBanco Arena, Magruder also worked for the City of Wheeling in the finance department early in his career.

“I had the privilege early in my career of working with this gentleman – this was my mentor,” Magruder said of Fahey, who today is 95 years old. “I worked in the City Building in finance when he was mayor. I nearly became city manager, but luckily, I lost on a 5-4 vote.”

Magruder said he applied for the job as city manager, but being turned down by the split vote helped put him on a career path that – in hindsight – was very fulfilling and one he was very happy to take.

“He’s so aggressive,” Fahey said of Magruder. “Honestly, when he gets after something, he stays right on it.”

McKenzie agreed.

“Denny is a hard-working, honest guy,” McKenzie said. “He was always trying to figure out how to make the Capitol Theatre and WesBanco Arena better. I’ve known Denny most of my life, and I’ve always had a great relationship with him. I think he’ll be a great mayor.”

While Magruder and Sparachane noted that they looked up to Fahey as a mentor and a hero, McKenzie said he took inspiration from the two men who preceded him.

“Fortunately, I came after a great mayor in Nick, and I’ve always known Jack (Lipphardt) – two really good mentors,” McKenzie said, noting that the terms as mayor dovetail off of one another as accomplishments of one council lay the groundwork for the next. “It’s like a building block.”

Lipphardt traveled from his new home in Charleston to attend the gathering. McKenzie noted that Lipphardt ushered in a new era in Wheeling’s mayoral history.

“Jack was the first mayor elected by the people – before that, the council nominated the mayor,” McKenzie noted. “Jack changed the charter that then allowed the people to vote for the mayor.”

Lipphardt had served on city council since 1979 and eventually won the nomination to become mayor in 1992. For his second term, he was the first mayor who was elected under the new charter.

“The first time, I was appointed, then the charter changed,” Lipphardt explained.

Excited to attend the rare gathering of past, present and future mayors of Wheeling, Lipphardt noted that he was not used to formal attire.

“They said ‘wear a dark suit for the picture,’ … I said, ‘what’s a suit?'” he laughed.

Lipphardt said it takes a collaborative effort to get things done in city government. He noted that he and former U.S. Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) worked on a number of ventures together, despite being far apart on an ideological spectrum.

“David McKinley and I couldn’t be politically farther apart, but we partnered on all of these projects,” Lipphardt said, noting that he expects Magruder to be a leader who brings people together to get things accomplished.

“Denny is a really good guy – a good thinker who isn’t afraid to advance something even when there might be criticism,” Lipphardt said. “I was acting mayor when … I’ll say we ‘stole’ the Wheeling Thunderbirds, which became the Nailers – from Winston-Salem.”

He watched Magruder work tirelessly to bring that hockey team to Wheeling … before they even had ice in the arena.

“We still had the design, financing, construction … but that’s the saga when people work together,” Magruder said.

Sparachane said the mayors all contributed to the building blocks that brought Wheeling to where it is today.

“It’s been a long time coming for redevelopment,” Sparachane said. “Jack (Lipphardt) had a vision for Celeron Plaza. I took over after him, and we were able to recruit Orrick out of San Francisco to come here. We were able to fill up Center Market. Then Andy McKenzie took over – a very professional leader. He kept expanding upon all the things that Jack started. And of course, Glenn Elliott did an amazing job pulling the rest of it all together.”

Now it’s time for Magruder to see Wheeling’s rebirth come to a true fruition, the mayors noted.

“It’s the perfect time to do it,” Sparachane said, noting the growing sense of positivity in the city. “Back in the day, the town was extremely negative – people were kind of giving up. But I always thought that Wheeling would have a great future because it had a great past. Nobody gives up on Wheeling – there are so many groups that are actively doing things. We can all be proud – it’s been a long run.”

Even when a number of pivotal moves in the city’s past were met with resistance, most of them turned out to be a positive step forward to the future, the men agreed.

“I’ve had a friendship with a lot of these gentlemen,” Magruder said of the group, describing them as the “encyclopedia of mayorship” for the city. “I just can’t say enough about these folks. They’ve all been there, and if I can learn just a little bit from every one of them, I’ll be OK.”