He's lived in St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood for decades, but one man worries the city is now targeting him over his political views.

“Show me the nuisance,” said Lucky Rosenbloom, a St. Paul business owner. “That sign is not bothering anyone.”

On the corner of Dale Street and St. Anthony Avenue, you’ll hear sounds of approval over a sign of contention.

“When I have signs like this up, supporting candidates, I don’t have a problem. But the moment I put something up about anything that has to do with a Republican, this always happens.

Friday, Lucky Rosenbloom received a letter from the city ordering him to remove the sign or face a criminal citation.

“That’s a threat,” he said.


According to the letter, the sign is a nuisance, and as a result, Rosenbloom is in violation of chapter 45 of St. Paul’s legislative code.

“The signs are out all the time, so why are they selecting me for the enforcement?” he asked.

Another question lucky wants an answer to is if his sign is considered a public nuisance, why aren’t the signs lining the sidewalks along Grand Avenue considered the same?

“If this is not going to be equal throughout the city, I’m going to fight it,” Rosenbloom said.

Business owners along Grand Avenue told Fox 9 off-camera the city has never asked them to remove boulevard signs.

“It’s about an issue of fairness,” he said. “It’s about an issue of being right.”

As a business owner himself, teaching gun classes, Lucky plans to stand his ground.

“Don’t call the city and use the city to quiet me and my first amendment right,” he said. “You just don’t pick one person because of his political views.”

Laurie Brickley, of the Department of Safety Inspection said the sign was loose and hanging over the sidewalk, which obstructed the right of way.

Here is the full statement from the Department of Safety Inspection:

All business and most temporary signs require a permit. By ordinance, temporary signs are allowed for specific uses such as construction sites, sale or rental of property, and political elections and are generally only allowed for 90 days. Political signs have similar rules but do not require a permit. The City received tens of thousands of nuisance livability complaints annually. Some of those complaints are related to signs. We received a complaint on 8/29 that the sign at 369 Dale was loose, over hanging the sidewalk by a couple of feet and obstructing the right of way.

An inspector responded to the complaint and found it to be in violation. The owner or responsible party has the right to appeal the order and it appears Mr. Rosenbloom is doing that. We strive to insure all sidewalks are passable and sign owners have the appropriate review and approvals for their signs.