Matthew Lahn (Mayor of Beckley, West Virginia, candidate 2024)
Matthew Lahn (No Party Affiliation) ran for election to Mayor of Beckley in West Virginia on May 14, 2024.[1]
Elections
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Matthew Lahn completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lahn's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
Happily married for over 18 years I am blessed to have 5 wonderful children. My career experiences range from business to healthcare in both the public and private sectors. I believe that helping another person is the best way to spend your time. I hope to use the Mayors position make Beckley a wonderful place to visit, live, work, and raise a family.
- Communication and Transparency. There has been an obvious disconnect between public officials, the mayor, and the council. The current administration seems to have difficulty communicating between its members and also with the public. These repeated snafus combined with a lack of urgency in disseminating information to the residents has eroded public trust in government. If elected I hope to rebuild the trust and faith in government that has been lost.
- Parks and Recreation. The City of Beckley owns a beautiful golf course and a dilapidated pool. The Black Knight Country Club serves golf enthusiasts but not the community as a whole. Tennis courts need to be resurfaced and additional facilities need to be built in order to truly make this a park for all of Beckley. The Sharon Dempsey pool has already outlived its expected lifespan by many years. The City has poured money into it for several years even wasting $130,000 two years ago on a management company that provided no results. This facility is only useable three months a year, if we’re lucky. It needs to be reimagined as an indoor recreational facility with pool, spray area, racquetball, gymnasium, and exercise stations.
- Development. The City has a housing problem. We have a wealth of dilapidated structures and a dearth of quality housing units. The focus needs to be on increasing our available affordable housing units and leveraging city regulations to incentivize builders into flipping homes.
One word….honesty. We make jokes about how all politicians are crooked but it’s not true. Some civil servants get into politics simply because they see problems and they want to help. I prefer a politician who is honest and owns his/her mistakes. Elected officials should not avoid taking responsibility.
The City of Beckley is governed under a ‘strong council’ form of local government. The Mayors main focus is to be the eyes and ears of the residents, protecting everyone’s first amendment rights. The Mayor should be responsible for making sure that all information and decisions are being disseminated to the public in a reasonable timeframe.
Transparency has been absent here in our local government. I hope to reach the community in meaningful ways and rebuild that trust.
As a parent of a special needs child I am personally invested in bringing more resources and services to the area. In terms of support for the special needs residents, West Virginia is beginning to catch up to the rest of the nation. Beckley, however, is the largest city in southern West Virginia and is almost devoid of providers and activities.
We’re facing some major issues. Homelessness, substance use disorder, and crime are just a few.
My father was a mechanic. I spent weekends, until I was teenager, learning the trade and helping him out.
Why did the pretzel call a cop?
He was a salted.
I can clearly remember watching the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in school. I was so excited about it and we got to watch it live. The first teacher in space… heartbreaking. I was 6.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
External links
[1] ↑ Submitted to Ballotpedia's candidate survey in 2024.
