Endorsement: Horcher for Wheeling village president

Dean Argiris talks about his four years at Wheeling's helm with an enthusiasm so evident it's easy to see why many trustees hail his active work as village president. Wheeling has made commendable progress on new construction, improvements to its downtown and the development of the Wheeling Town Center. And we admire Argiris' passion, too. But, at the same time, we are deeply concerned about troubling choices he has made with regard to taxpayer-funded perks.

Village officials say Argiris voluntarily gave up his village purchasing card and the keys to a decommissioned police SUV after questions arose about his use of both. For example, he used the purchasing card to pay for a $462 bill at Tuscany Restaurant on Oct. 22, the day the Chicago Cubs clinched a World Series berth. Argiris called the charge a mistake and reimbursed the village, but it took months to do so.

In fact, Argiris used the credit card on 26 purchases he promised to pay back, often taking far too long to make good on the pledge. In addition, he failed to provide receipts for other purchases.

Argiris has denied any wrongdoing. He and the trustees who stand behind him hope village voters will look past the problems when they go to the polls on April 4. We can't. And residents shouldn't either.

Two other choices are available for village president: Michael Kurgan, a Wheeling Park District commissioner since 2001, and Pat Horcher, a local florist and a former village trustee. Both have years of experience behind them. Regrettably, Kurgan refused to participate in endorsement interviews.

Horcher, though, speaks of becoming more friendly to small startups looking to put down stakes in Wheeling. He also expresses disdain for the 75 percent pay hike the village board approved for the village president's next term. While we don't necessarily agree with Horcher's contention that village employees' salaries should more closely reflect residents', we respect his desire to control costs and keep an eye on the bottom line.

As a businessman whose family owns 40 acres of Wheeling farmland that has attracted the interest of developers, Horcher would need to be cautious to avoid any conflict of interest if a deal moves forward. He understands that and vows to recuse himself from discussion and a vote.

We endorse Pat Horcher.