A static variable is a static variable regardless of where in the application it is. There is only one instance of each static variable in the application, shared between all threads. If you change the value in a static variable and don't see the change, it's because you are not reading the variable at all. Static variables are usually not useful in a web application, as it's a multi threaded application, and all threads share the same static variable. If one user changes the variable, all users see the change.
Despite everything, the person most likely to be fooling you next is yourself.