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ESSEX COUNTY — This has been a costly election for Anthony Calandra.

The name behind a chain of well-known bakeries in Newark, Fairfield and Caldwell, Calandra is not saying who he supports in the presidential election. But a few weeks ago, a photo began circulating across the Internet suggesting he was no fan of President Obama.

The photo showed a banner in front of a factory building, proclaiming: "My Grandfather, an Italian immigrant started this business without any government help. Obama Can Kiss Our Ass." It was signed Paul Calandra.

The photo was captioned as having been taken "outside a famous bakery in Newark," and began going viral among Calandra’s customers — some of whom were clearly not pleased with the political sentiment.

"People started commenting to me, both positively and negatively, with some saying, ‘We’re never coming back to your bakery,’" Calandra said.

So for the past few days, Calandra has been spending big bucks putting ads in newspapers disavowing any knowledge of the banner or its message.

Indeed, the photo was clearly not of Calandra’s bakery, a fixture in Newark’s North Ward, where the smell of fresh-baked Italian bread is a constant presence in the neighborhood.

"There is no Paul Calandra in my company. I don’t have a Paul Calandra in my family," he said.

So where did the sign originate?

He did not know. But a little detective work quickly solved the mystery.

Paul Calandra is a principal at Jenmar Corp. in Cresson, Pa., a family-owned company in western Pennsylvania that supplies everything from beams to channels and trusses to the coal mining and tunneling industry.

Paul Calandra was not available yesterday for comment, but a company employee acknowledged he posted his own views about Obama about a month ago on a fence outside the Jenmar plant on Gallitzin Road, some 280 miles west of Newark.

The banner, the employee said, was apparently ripped down last week.

Anthony Calandra said his own political views are personal, but he in no way approved that message.

"It’s costing us quite a bit of money," he said. "We want to make sure people know we have nothing to do with it."