The political bones in John Mathies III won’t let him sit still.

Despite being recalled from the Folsom Board of Aldermen in 2007 during what he calls a slap of injustice, Mathies bounced back to the political realm this month when he was elected constable of Ward II with 59 percent of the vote.

He’s among 14 other constables parishwide who aid with evictions, investigate littering and illegal dumping, and at times are known to even pick through rotting garbage to find the violator’s identities.

John Mathies III

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

Mathies, who said he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty for the good of the people, can’t stop serving the public. His father was a military sharp shooter. His son is in Iraq, serving the country. Public service, it seems, is in his blood, he said.

“A constable is a constant watchman, and I’ll be out there working and watching for you,” he said. “Now that I’m elected I’m not going to stop shaking hands with everybody. You’ll still see me.”

Mathies rallied for the position and won in a campaign against Folsom Republican Gregory Byers after hearing the constable position to serve Justice of the Peace officers in Ward II hadn’t been filled in more than a decade, he said.

Meanwhile, Ward II Justices of the Peace Timothy Garlick and Juanita Mizell had no one to help enforce their rulings in small civic matters under $5,000, as well as litter violations and eviction notices, he said.

“It’s not fair to them, and I want to do what I can to help the community,” Mathies said. “I decided I’m coming back for the people.”

Mathies jokes about “coming back” to the political realm after a 2007 recall petition that led to him and two other members of the Folsom Board of Alderman being ousted from office, partly because, critics said, the trio didn’t support the re-appointment of longtime police chief Beau Killingsworth.

It’s a topic Mathies doesn’t like to discuss because it “stirs up too much emotions” for the people close to the town, but it’s important to note, he said, that afterwards “people read beyond the lines and that’s when they put me back in office.”

For now, Mathies is focused on doing the best he can. The past is behind him.

A few ideas are circling in his mind about how to improve the constable position.

Many he is holding close to the vest until he does more research, but one he said is helping the quasi-judicial court system run by the Justices of the Peace he works for operate as professionally as possible, maybe even build a mini courthouse, without introducing a new tax.

As is, justices of the peace take 50 percent of any litter fines to help reimburse them for handling the violation, according to parish ordinance. That money is then split with the constable, including a $50 court fee.

Because those enforcing the rules stand to gain financially from the fines, critics contend the system is open to abuse. Others say there’s no conflict of interest, comparing the litter fines to traffic tickets, whose fines also reimburse courts.

But today he realizes he’s the new kid on the block. It takes time and dedication, but to excel in the future, one has to know their past, he said.

Historically, the title of constable comes from the Latin word stabuli, meaning count of the stables that originated during the Eastern Roman Empire. Originally, the constable was the officer responsible for keeping the horses of a lord or monarch. But in modern times it’s evolved to modern aid, such as enforcing and investigating litter violations.

Mathies likes the history. It signifies a tradition he can relate to, like both his father and son serving in the armed forces.

“I had to come back to serve,” he said. “It’s in my blood.”