Is John Mathews eligible to run for mayor in Shepherdstown in the June 3 election? That is the question many people are asking.

The issue is whether Mathews moved into Apartment 2, 304 West German Street, Shepherdstown, in March 2008 simply to meet eligibility.

According to the Town Charter: “The Mayor, Recorder and Councilmen must be residents of said municipality, must be loyal voters entitled to vote for members of the council, and for the year preceding their election must have been assessed with and paid taxes upon at least one hundred dollars of real or personal property therein.”

However, Jason Williams of the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office says this part of the town’s charter is unconstitutional. The key requirement for mayor is that the candidate be eligible to vote—by being a resident of the town at the time of the election.

Some people have said that even if Mathews is technically eligible to run for mayor, they don’t like the appearance that he took up residence to do so.

Mathews said that he had been living in the Corporation of Shepherdstown for “a year and several months.” When pressed, Mathews said he had been living in town only since March 2008—the deadline for filing for the mayoral race was March 10. A few years ago he did live in town on King Street. Mathews also confirmed that before March 2008, his primary residence was his home on Norman Lane next to Cress Creek, and that was where he paid his personal property taxes. He also said that the lease on Norman Lane remained in effect.

An official from the of Jefferson County Sheriff’s office said that John and Linda Mathews paid a little over $107.89 in personal property taxes in 2007 for their two vehicles, and that the money went to Jefferson County, because they were not living in the Corporation of Shepherdstown.

When asked if he had moved to German Street simply to become eligible for mayor, Mathews said, “I have no response to that.” He then added, “What difference does it make whether I did or didn’t?” Mathews confirmed that the lease on German Street is not a year lease, but is open ended. He would not commit to staying in the apartment on German Street if he lost the election.

Shepherdstown Recorder Jim Ford, who is responsible for running elections in town, said, “We have looked at the qualifications for candidates for mayor and the town council, and it appears that the way ordinances currently stand, both in the municipality and in the state, if you can vote, you can run for town office. And the qualification for voting is that you are a resident, you are 18 years old, and you are not a felon. As a resident of town, I think the new town council should look in to see whether we can put a restriction to try and ensure that candidates for office have some long-term commitment to the town.”

Mathews was fired from his position as zoning officer by Mayor Lance Dom in February 2008. Though the mayor gave no specific reason for the termination, the action followed complaints from some of the town’s employees. They said they needed protection from Mathews, and asked the police chief for a can of pepper spray to keep in their offices. Mathews says that he is not running for mayor so that he can fire the town hall employees and promised that they will keep their positions.

“Am I running for revenge?” He said, “The answer is no. If I wanted some reparations for slandering my name, for trying to ruin my character in this town by Lance’s lies, the answer is no, I’m not.”