Search
'Tis the season for sign stealing
By JOE LoTEMPLIO
Staff Writer
It seems that the New England Patriots are not the only ones stealing signs these days.
As happens every campaign season, candidates are screaming foul, accusing people of stealing their precious campaign lawn signs.
After covering local politics for 22 years, I’ve heard all of the complaints.
“Two dozen of my signs were taken in one night. I could see one or two, but not that many. That means someone was out to get me.”
“My signs were all stolen or damaged, and my opponent’s were not touched.”
“I saw someone that looked like my opponent touching one of my signs.”
Those are just a few of the regurgitated complaints we hear every year.
Fact is, campaign signs disappear or get damaged every year for a variety of reasons.
Yes, some of them fall victim to dishonest candidates and some of their supporters, but most of them, I dare say, are trashed by people who just hate campaign lawn signs, period.
Others think they might make a nice souvenir until they wake up sober.
Some are just trashed for the heck of it.
Candidates always come to me convinced they have a worthy news story of how their signs were specifically targeted.
This year is no different.
During the primary season, Mike Kelly and Bill Provost say they chased Andy Brockway all the way to Beekmantown after they allegedly saw Brockway take one of Kelly’s signs in Ward 2.
Brockway, of course, denied it, setting up the famous he-said, he-said scenario.
James Calnon complained that 16 of his signs were stolen in one night in Ward 4.
I sympathize Mr. Calnon, but 16 is a pittance compared with some stories I’ve heard in years past.
Some candidates claim they’ve had as many as 250 signs stolen in one campaign season.
The mother of Steven Williams, a candidate in Ward 2, complained that her son’s signs were being desecrated.
No doubt these incidents are disturbing to candidates, and that is understandable, considering all the money and time they put into campaigning.
Stealing or destroying campaign signs is not right, and people should show more respect and decent behavior, even if they are drunk.
But the bottom line seems to be that losing signs or having them destroyed appears to be one of the prices to pay for participating in our political system.
As Winston Churchill once said, “Democracy is the worst form of government there is. But it’s the best one we’ve come up with so far.”
