A former candidate for Morgantown’s City Council is charged with two election fraud-related charges.
Timothy Aaron Metz, 44, is charged with falsely filing a certification of nomination and signing the name of people to the nominating petition without their consent. Both charges are felonies and are punishable by one to 10 years in prison.
An investigator with the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office found 21 of 92 signatures, including that of a dead woman, on Metz’s nominating petition were fraudulently signed, according to a criminal complaint.
The W. Va. SOS Office received a complaint on March 13, 2019 that Metz fraudulently submitted election forms required as a candidate for Morgantown City Council.
The investigator interviewed Morgantown City Clerk Christine Wade who told him Metz filed a notice of candidacy for city council’s 7th Ward. The city charter requires council candidates obtain 75 signatures from registered voters in the ward in which they are seeking election.
Metz turned in his nominating petition on Feb. 11, 2019, with eight pages containing the names, addresses and signatures of 92 people, the complaint said. Included in the petition was the name, address and signature of Heidi Ann Saffel, of Eastern Avenue dated Jan. 12.
A part-time Morgantown City Elections Secretary, Colleen Skotnicki, recognized Saffel’s name while reviewing the nominating petition because she knew her and knew she was dead, the complaint said.
Monongalia County Clerk Carye Blaney provided the SOS investigator a copy of Saffel’s death certificate, which showed she died on October 28, 2018.
The investigator also interviewed an additional 20 people, whose names, addresses and signatures appeared on Metz’s nominating petition, who said they did not sign it nor meet with Metz on the date the form showed.
Metz withdrew from the city council race in March and admitted he had “cut corners” in the collection of signatures. The fraudulent signatures were first called into question when 1st Ward resident Patrick Hathaway obtained all of the candidates’ nominating petitions through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Incumbent 7th Ward Councilor Barry Wendell won the election and is serving his second term on council.
“It was a bad experience for me,” Wendell said Wednesday. “I just wanted to have a decent argument about policy with somebody and all I got was this.”
