Steven Shamy Sr. spent months raising money, planting yard signs and distributing campaign information.

After losing his bid for a West Valley City Council seat last year, his sights were set on bigger things: a spot on the Salt Lake County Council.

The only problem: The county clerk this week informed him that he doesn't actually live in the district he wants to represent.

As a result, Shamy - who was out of town Thursday and unavailable for comment - may have his name blacked out or covered with a sticker reading "candidate withdrawn" for the election on Nov. 2. (Shamy has yet to officially withdraw, but is not expected to protest.)

"My heart goes out to him and I know his heart is broken," said Nichole Adams, chairwoman of the Salt Lake County Democratic Party. "He is just a working man and he feels really bad."

Shamy - a Democrat running for the county's District 2 seat - lives in West Valley City's second district, which Adams said led to the confusion.

When the clerk's office checked the address, county officials realized Shamy actually resides in county District 3 - rendering him unable to serve, if elected.

The discovery opens the door to a shoo-in victory for Republican incumbent Michael Jensen, who says he heard rumblings of the problem during recent candidate forums.

"There have been some times at the debates that made me wonder if he knows the district," Jensen said.

However, the incumbent says he was not told officially until this week. "My attitude is, I wanted to run hard and continue to focus on the issues," Jensen said.

Shamy, who was not recruited by the state Democratic Party to run, spent nearly $1,200 on the race through mid-September. Personal Choice candidate K.C. "Sarge" Froehle has not been a factor.

"The rules are the rules," added Adams, who called the error unfortunate. "It's too bad to find out now when you've put all your time and effort into it. It's really sad."

djensen@sltrib.com