New Commissioner Marcum’s residency still in question
Jay Marcum sworn in as Wayne County Commissioner
Jay Marcum was recently sworn in to take his seat as a new Wayne County commissioner, but his seat is still in question as an election contest hearing approaches where his residency will be debated.
Marcum, a Republican, unseated former Wayne County Commission President Jeff Maddox, a Democrat, by a wide margin in November. Maddox filed to challenge Marcum’s candidacy. He charges that Marcum used his sister’s address to qualify for the County Commissioner’s race.
Marcum’s attorney, Philip Reale, argues in his filed response that Marcum has lived in a basement apartment of his sister’s house in Kenova since 2022 and has the leasing agreement and the utility bills he presented in order to run.
Reale said. “I think the confusion is that he owns another home in Wayne County, but he has not lived there and does not live there since December 2022.”
Both sides will be able to present their arguments before the county commission and the public a week from Monday on Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. at the Wayne County courthouse.
Maddox responded by saying that he would not have to challenge this if Marcum did the right thing. “It’s not the person who defends the law that is the problem, it’s the person who breaks it,” Maddox said.
