Matt Paxson Denies Buying Facebook, Twitter Followers

Fredericksburg mayoral candidate Matt Paxson said he has no idea how his Twitter and Facebook sites spiked with followers from foreign countries and he has no secret agenda to create a theocracy if he is elected mayor.

Paxson, the associate pastor for Fairview Baptist Church, is responding to criticism for large spikes in his social networking accounts from foreign countries and for taking down his personal blog that he started four years ago.

"We are just as surprised as everyone else on [the increase in Facebook and Twitter supporters] and I swear to you that I nor anyone from my campaign has in any way bought any of those things," Paxson said. "I didn't even know you could buy 'likes.'"

At the Idlewild mayoral candidates' forum Wednesday, Paxson touted his large Facebook and Twitter followings and how he is far ahead of his two opponents, Mary Katherine Greenlaw and Fred Howe.

Fredericksburg Patch requested access to Paxson's Facebook account and he has about 700 "likes" from foreign countries. He also has 608 "likes" from Fredericksburg and more from around the region and state out of his 1,731 followers. Greenlaw, the city's vice-mayor who has been involved in city government for almost a dozen years, has 141 "likes." Howe, who has served on City Council since 2010, has 36 "likes." Paxson's Twitter feed was also hit with a spike from foreigners and now has 10,581 followers to Howe's eight and Greenlaw doesn't have a Twitter account.

"It is obvious that I am the clear favorite at this point and they are scared and will do whatever they can to come after me," Paxson said.

If someone from Paxson's campaign did buy the Facebook "likes" and Twitter followers, the expenditure will have to be noted in the upcoming campaign finance report.

"They can feel free to check anything because that would not be on the radar screen because that doesn't help us at all to buy Facebook likes," he said. "I give you my word as a man that I have no idea nor does anyone with my campaign have any idea what is going on. We've actually had a few meetings on this to try and figure out what's going on."

Some are also questioning Paxson on why he removed his personal blog on mattpaxson.com from the Internet. Some of that site can still be viewed through cached websites. Maddie Jenkins, a Greenlaw supporter, emailed Paxson on Sunday accusing him of being deceptive with his social network accounts and for hiding his personal blog. She mentions one blog post in which Paxson quotes former Church of Scotland minister and the founder of the Iona Community, George Macleod: "I simply argue that the cross should be raised again at the centre of the market place as well as on the steeple of the church." 

"When I found that one, I began to understand your reluctance to expose your website to public scrutiny, as such passionate commitment to faith in the public sphere is very distasteful to a lot of people," Jenkins wrote Paxson. "I think it's fair to say that most people want their politicians to be of solid faith but not evangelical. I notice also that while you tout your masters degrees, you fail to say that your undergraduate degree was earned at Oral Roberts University. Oral Roberts, one of the original "Charismatic Christians" and televangelists. Do you intend to use the mayoral dais as your pulpit?" 

Paxson said he has no hidden goal to make a theocracy out of Fredericksburg and that he is not a practicing Charismatic Christian or a Fundamentalist Christian.

"I stand by my conviction as a Christian and I will not back down from that, but there is a definite separation between the institutions of church and state and I am running for a position of state and I am not running to be the pastor of Fredericksburg," he said. "I think that's them just playing dirty politics."

Paxson said he removed his personal blog at mattpaxson.com from the Internet because he was originally planning to use it as the main campaign site, but his campaign aides thought paxsonformayor.com would be the better URL. Instead of having two websites attached to his name, he decided to suspend his personal website so that all of the focus could be on his campaign website. He said he has no desire to campaign on controversial social issues.

"The whole reason we took it down is not because there is anything shady on there," he said. "I am not hiding anything. It strikes me as odd and actually a fear tactic that they are all of the sudden attacking me for my faith. We have nothing to hide and if they have any questions about any post they can definitely ask me and I will send it to them."

Editor's Note: Matt Paxson does have a Fredericksburgh Patch campaign blog. I offered a campaign blog to all nine candidates running for city office on three separate occasions, including the three mayoral candidates. To date, Matt Paxson, and at-large City Council candidates Paul Quinn and Matt Kelly accepted the offer, which remains open to all candidates. The statements and opinions on their blogs are their own and Fredericksburg Patch only provides a platform to communicate with our growing readership.