Lawn Signs Start “Disappearing”

by Thomas MacMillan | Sep 6, 2011 1:00 pm

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Posted to: Dixwell, Dwight, Campaign 2011

Alderman Greg Morehead said he was just doing his constituents a service when police found him with an opponent’s campaign signs stashed in the trunk of his car. Police, summoned by an opposing candidate who had trailed Morehead through the neighborhood, called it “larceny,” according to Morehead. They forced the alderman to remove a handful of his opponent’s placards from his car. Morehead said the police had it wrong, that he was only removing signs that his opponents have been placing on lawns without permission, or those that were in the public right-of-way. The candidate spy work and police intervention took place last Thursday night on Henry Street in Ward 22, where Morehead and Lisa Hopkins, along with Jeanette Morrison and Cordelia Thorpe, are locked in a heated four-way campaign to be the next representative from the neighborhood, which comprises parts of Dixwell and Yale. The ward is the scene of perennial campaign disputes; races between Hopkins and Morehead, who are across-the-street neighbors, have been known to get personal. Accusations and counter-accusations about campaign signs also flew in Dwight’s Ward 2, where Doug Bethea and Frank Douglass are vying to represent the Dwight neighborhood. The placard kerfuffles are a sign of the times, so to speak, as candidates sprint towards the Sept 13. Democratic primary in what has become the most active election year in recent memory. Susie Voigt, chair of the Democratic Town Committee, said the two wards’ kerfuffles are isolated incidents. “People are doing pretty well out there, given that there are 19 [aldermanic] primaries and four people running for mayor,” she said. “In the big picture, people are being respectful of each other.” Admiral To Henry Hopkins said she noticed Morehead and his car on Henry Street after 9 p.m. on Thursday night, as she was canvassing the neighborhood. She believed he was “making rounds” and taking down signs. She ran over to Admiral Street, where she said she has several signs up. “I got him on Admiral Street,” Hopkins said. She spotted Morehead, who “doubled back” to Henry, where she caught up to him and confronted him. “I saw her,” Morehead recalled. “She was following me around. I’m like, this is ridiculous. I knew it was going to be drama.” “I stopped him,” Hopkins recalled. “I said, ‘You’re not supposed to be stealing signs.’” Hopkins said Morehead’s behavior was “ridiculous” and “unethical.” “He says he’s running a positive race, and this dude is stealing signs.” Reached after the incident, Morehead said he wasn’t “stealing” anything. He was simply removing signs that his constituents had asked him to take down, he said. He said as he’s been out canvassing, several people have told him that Morrison signs had appeared overnight next to the Morehead signs already on their property. He said the homeowners asked him to remove the signs. He said he doesn’t know why they didn’t just remove them themselves. “The residents know that they can call on me for everything from signs being placed illegally to me cutting down trees this week. I don’t mind being there for my constituents,” Morehead wrote in a text message. Morehead said he was also removing signs Thursday night that had been illegally placed in the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street, which is public property. He said he took them down the same way he would have removed trash if he found it on the city’s right-of-way. He said he didn’t bother calling the city to remove them because all workers were so busy with hurricane clean-up. On Thursday night after confronting Morehead, Hopkins waved some police officers down, she said. “I explained to the cops that I was taking them down at people’s request,” Morehead said. The police told him it was “larceny,” Morehead said. “That’s untrue.” The signs were either on public property or he had permission to remove them, he said. Morehead said he took the “four or five signs” out of his car, at the corner of Ashmun and Henry, at an officer’s request. “He just asked me to leave them right there. I left all of them there right on the grass.” Morrison, to whose campaign those signs belong, said she has seen a large number of her signs disappear. One day recently, her campaign put up 40 signs and saw that only three were still up the next day, she said. “It looks pretty suspicious.” She said her campaign has never put any signs on private property without the explicit permission of the property owner. She acknowledged that she has put her signs up on the strip between the sidewalk and the street, but said she was following Morehead’s example. “Actually, I kind of followed his lead,” she said. “He’s the incumbent.” She said she figured Morehead wouldn’t do something illegal. Morehead said his campaign has not placed any signs on public property anywhere. “No I have not. Come on,” he said. “The signs that I have put up have been for residents.” University Place Across town in Dwight, campaign supporters recounted a similar dispute. They didn’t call the cops. Frank Douglass supporter Christine Bartlett-Jones, who lives on University Place, said she caught candidate Doug Bethea removing Douglass signs from a neighbor’s lawn, behind a fence. It was Thursday Aug. 25 at 9:45 a.m., she said. “I was eating my oatmeal. I see someone in my neighbor’s yard. I work from home so I’m always looking.” Bartlett-Jones said she went outside and confronted the man. He turned, and she recognized him as Bethea. They argued, and he swore at her, she said. He took the Douglass signs and replaced them with one of his own, she said. Later that afternoon, Bethea came back to apologize, Bartlett-Jones said. “I’ve been removing his signs from in front of my signs,” Bethea said in an interview. “I believe my sign looks better than his anyway.” He said the Douglass campaign has been going around putting its signs in front of Bethea’s and taking down his signs in the middle of the night. “I don’t have a problem with it because lawn signs don’t vote,” Bethea said. Bethea said he had taken down a Douglass sign under a tree outside a house on University Place, but he hadn’t entered private property to do it. “People want to yell and scream and say things about me, I ain’t got time,” he said. “I love Frank Douglass to death. I have no negative bone in my body. I’m too much of a role model.” Bethea declined to speak about the alleged confrontation with Bartlett-Jones. “I’m not going to keep on talking about this lawn sign thing. I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten all day. I’m going to go home and look at my lawn sign.” Douglass said his campaign has not been putting its signs up in front of Bethea’s. “That’s an outright lie. I don’t play those games. ... I’m trying to keep on a high road and run a clean race.” “Signs are not important,” he said. “What’s important are the votes.”

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posted by: robn on September 6, 2011 1:11pm It would be great if the NHI got a thorough legal interpretation of this matter. If its illegal to place signs on public property, then why is removing them larceny and not just cleaning up discarded material (i.e. litter) ? As far as signs on private property…grow up people…leave private property alone.

posted by: Jay on September 6, 2011 1:12pm I’m sick of all the signs on public land - street corners , tree lines, etc. Most are political, some are commercial. I think we should all be throwing out this trash whenever it is on public property.

posted by: 2Unique on September 6, 2011 1:31pm From Five Man Electrical Band: “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind

Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?

Now, hey you, mister, can’t you read?

You’ve got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat

You can’t even watch, no you can’t eat

You ain’t supposed to be here

The sign said you got to have a membership card to get inside…Ugh”

posted by: Alderman Greg Morehead on September 6, 2011 1:38pm I just wanted to point out one thing. It is NOT illegal(despite what the officer said to me) to take down signs on public property if they were put up without consent from the city. This was confirmed from the city’s legal dept.

Ms. Hopkins tried to catch me out there like I was trying to hide from taking the illegal signs down and also has been trying to discredit me in every way. Like I stated in the article, its like picking up trash from a city street, you don’t need permission to do that.. This is happening all over New Haven….

posted by: anon on September 6, 2011 1:38pm Sounds like “The Wire”... To Jay and Robn: Rather than throwing out signs that your neighbor may or may not currently realize are on public property, how about showing some kindness and instead moving the sign across the sidewalk so that it actually sits on their property. This way, they can be responsible for removing it if they want to. The signs are not that hard to move a few feet.

posted by: THREEFIFTHS on September 6, 2011 2:12pm Does anybody have lawn signs with the pictures of the politicicans runing for office.I need some,Because I have to babysit my neighbours new puppy and he is not house broken,Some instead of buying training pads,I can use the lawn signs when he piss and sh-t.Make should they are the heavy cardboad ones.

posted by: makingobservations on September 6, 2011 2:15pm i’m undecided in the mayoral election, maybe leaning towards kerekes, but i can’t help but notice kerekes signs that have popped up all over town on public property. the exit 3 on/off immediately comes to mind. if we’re going to complain about destefano “breaking the rules” with sketchy commercial and endorsements, the least we can do is follow the rules ourselves

posted by: Anderson Scooper on September 6, 2011 2:16pm Hi Greg, Do you really think it’s a good idea to ever even touch one of your competitor’s lawn signs? I’ve got to question your judgement there, as what naturally follows is almost a given. Also, why were you making out as if you’re a policeman, or a public works guy, when in reality you’re neither? Please do what Bethea did. Apologize. Then maybe we can all move on from this silliness.

posted by: webblog1 posted by: Alderman Greg Morehead on September 6, 2011 1:38pm “I just wanted to point out one thing. It is NOT illegal(despite what the officer said to me) to take down signs on public property if they were put up without consent from the city. This was confirmed from the city’s legal dept”. Morrison, to whose campaign those signs belong: She said her campaign has never put any signs on private property without the explicit permission of the property owner. She acknowledged that she has put her signs up on the strip between the sidewalk and the street, but said she was following Morehead’s example. Greg,

If your description of events is true, that you were removing signs from public and private property,....

and, Morrison’s statement that her signs were next to yours in both locations, is also true. Then why didn’t you remove your signs too..??

and by the way, the police found none of your signs in your car!!! Greg, this behavior is so silly and your explanation is immature.

Instead, why not spend your time getting legal absentee ballots out of Monterrey and Bristol street senior residences..?? The key word here is LEGAL.

posted by: anon on September 6, 2011 2:33pm Alderman Morehead wrote: “It is NOT illegal(despite what the officer said to me) to take down signs on public property.” It may not be illegal, but it sounds like it is extremely gauche - see above comment.

posted by: The Sign Bandit on September 6, 2011 2:36pm Mr. Morehead ... Funny how you removed everyone signs but yours. The last time I’ve checked was that you needed a permit to place signs on City property. You’re the Alderman and you should know better than that ...

posted by: Ellis Copeland on September 6, 2011 2:57pm One more example of how this is a useless hamlet full of childish buffoons who can’t be trusted to govern themselves. The state should just appoint a receiver to clear out this place.

posted by: streever I’ve removed signs from private property—when asked in writing by the owner of the property who was unhappy that a candidate had placed them there without asking. I’ve also removed signs from public property—they were put on the tree strips in front of our supporters houses to try and make it look like our supporters had mixed feelings. (Of course, when Elicker ran, he didn’t put any signs on public property, so it was pretty clear case) In each case, I notified the candidate FIRST in writing and listed the addresses of the signs I was removing and told the candidate I was going to have them on my porch, or could drop them off if so desired. I think if you’re going to touch a sign—even one in public property—you just have to be careful how you do it.

posted by: Curious on September 6, 2011 3:26pm It may not be illegal to take down an opponent’s signs on public property, but it is childish. You should win based on the strength of your candidacy, not through petty games.

posted by: ASL on September 6, 2011 3:37pm @ Ellis Copeland Lawn sign shenanigans are hardly limited to the Elm City (or to Democrats): http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/GOP-attorney-general-candidate-s-husband-campaign-609504.php (if you don’t have the time or inclination to click on the link, the headline, from August 2010, reads, “GOP attorney general candidate’s husband/campaign manager arrested after lawn sign altercation”) Of course, as a wise man said to me recently, “I’ve spent a lot of time at the polls in New Haven. And I’ve never seen a lawn sign come in to cast a ballot.”

posted by: Alderman Greg Morehead on September 6, 2011 4:04pm To Anderson Scooper,The Sign Bandit, and Ellis Copeland… The signs that residents asked me to remove were on their property and they told me that they didn’t give my opponents’ permission to place their signs there. They gave me permission and asked me to remove them.

Those signs that were on public(City) property, I removed them and did so because they were there illegally.

Of course I didn’t remove my signs because #1 I didn’t have them on City property and #2 I had received prior permission at resident homes to place them there

And finally @weblog, I don’t have time to defend myself for something that I haven’t done. Since I have been in office, I have run a clean campaign and never once did anything illegal. Also, I don’t have time to debate with you also over accusations especially when you use a pseudonym for your name. Instead of putting false accusations out there, man or woman up and file a complaint with the SEEC.. This is my last post and I’m not going back and forth with anyone.

If you feel that your comment on this Article deserves more merit and would like to talk with me, I’m always available @ 203.507.7766.

If you ask me, I think this whole article is he say, she say and is not deserving of the attention that its getting, but everyone(my opponents) always feel something is bigger than what it is. Boy, I can’t wait until Sept 13 @ 8:01pm!! Alderman Greg Morehead

posted by: robn on September 6, 2011 4:13pm I think ANON’s solution is best. Remove signs from public property and place on the nearest neighbors lawn…then they can decide whether or not they’re a campaign supporter.

posted by: cba on September 6, 2011 4:15pm These sign removers are no more than adolescent clowns who do not belong in any political office

posted by: Jon Doe on September 6, 2011 4:17pm I found a lawn sign for Stephanie Bauer ward-14 laying on my front lawn just today. Looks like someone just trow it there. I don’t support Stephanie Bauer and will not be voting for her

posted by: dee on September 6, 2011 5:01pm So if you are the good-citizen sign police for us all, Alderman Morehead, does that mean was can count on you to canvas the city and remove the hundreds of DeStefano signs that I PROMISE YOU will sprout like weeds on public property all over the city on the eve of the primary?

posted by: Dave Baker Signs are also stolen for the steel brackets that hold them in place.

posted by: THREEFIFTHS on September 6, 2011 5:02pm Again.Does anybody have lawn signs with the pictures of the politicicans runing for office.I need some,Because I have to babysit my neighbours new puppy and he is not house broken,Some instead of buying training pads,I can use the lawn signs when he piss and sh-t.Make should they are the heavy cardboad ones

posted by: The Sign Bandit on September 6, 2011 5:11pm Mr. Morehead, You really need to be honest with yourself, Ms. Morrison stated that she wouldn’t of done it if she didn’t see your signs on the public property, so she thought it was ok to do so because you was the Alderman and she felt you knew better. I believe Ms. Morrison because she was just following you. My question to you is Why did you steal the signs and if thats not true why did the police find them in your vehicle. This may be childish as on writer has stated but you a city official should of contacted the proper department for the removal of the signs. If I was Ms. Morrison I will press charges against you for stealing her lawn signs. It took bravery for Lisa Hopkins to turn you in for stealing someone else signs. Thumbs up Lisa.

posted by: Billy on September 6, 2011 5:29pm I have to agree with Anderson Scooper, Greg. Whether or not it’s illegal or that you had permission aren’t the issues. It was a foolish thing to do, it looks like not playing fair, and it exhibits poor judgment and a lack of leadership. An apology would probably allow you to move on to a week of canvassing without this burdening you.

posted by: Question on September 6, 2011 5:41pm So I’ve read this Article about 3 times for real. Is it me or in this whole article, this had nothing to do about lisa hopkins signs, but the morrison lady? Why did lisa get involved? Why didn’t she just mind her own business, but I see what has been going on. Since Mr Morehead has been in office, she has been against him and trying to find ways to bring false accusations against him. I live in this Ward and have never seen lisa around in the community. Even during this last storm, the only information that I received regarding homeowners and their power outages was from Mr Morehead. He send out information on Sunday and Monday of the storm and my neighbors and myself saw him out there on Monday walking the streets with another person. I don’t look at the going back and forth with articles like these, I look at peoples action. Most of my neighbors and the community see what you are doing Mr Morehead, keep up the good work.

posted by: robn on September 6, 2011 5:51pm If a campaign tries to get an unfair advantage and violates the law by placing campaign signs on public property, tough luck if they are discarded. I would question Mr Morehead if he removed another campaign’s signs from public property and left his own on public property but there is no evidence of potential hypocrisy other than Ms Hopkins’ allegation.

posted by: Weird Ward9 on September 6, 2011 6:34pm Ban them altogether..I’ve seen and read to much about them,it was all no good.I mean absolutely wacky things going on over them,about them,literally on top of them as we’ve seen in Fair Haven a few years ago.two people pulling them back and forth in each direction in a tug o war..I had relatives of my landlady show up in the dark ,sneak in front,argue about what to do with the alders oppositions’ sign,run around with it for while,hide it in the garbage can,take it out until i berated them that it was mine and i placed it there on private property etc etc.

posted by: alexey on September 6, 2011 6:52pm The city, itself, routinely breaks the law by placing street sweeping and other notifications on utility poles, degrading the integrity of the poles with the staples. If the city wants to use utility poles to post notices, it should affix weather-resistant sleeves into which the notices could be inserted (and removed) That would still require a change in the law.

posted by: anon on September 6, 2011 6:59pm On the eve of the last primary, I saw the Mayor’s Executive staff out at night on overtime to place signs on the public property all up and down Whalley. I say, the more signs the better. Everyone knows which are real and which are fraudulent. If you are in a nabe and just want it to look tidy, move the signs a few feet to the neighbors’ as Robn suggests.

posted by: Brian L. Jenkins on September 6, 2011 7:06pm It is clear that this Alderman Morehead is running scared. I’m curious, would this alderman have taken up signs if they belonged to a male opponent? Instead of fighting the woman in your ward over lawn signs, why don’t you fight the DeStefano Administration to re-open the Dixwell Q-House for gang and teen pregnancy prevention programs? Alderman Morehead’s focus is to return to the board so he can continue to fight for the Mayors agenda. Voters are in need of politically independent individuals such as Jeanette Morrison. Not politically dependent individuals like Alderman Morehead. It’s time for Ward 22 to elect an Alderwoman that knows how to say NO to DeStefano. Not re-elect an Alderman that can only spell Yes for everything the Mayor wants.

posted by: the king on September 6, 2011 7:43pm The more important question besides signs in ward 22 is what is this Red Cafe. Taking the place of Butta J’s and the Cardinal’s club. I’v had enough of these clubs. What type of club is it and how did they get a liquor license with all that violence. Shouldn’t the neighborhood have a say in this. Eveyone I ask does not have an answer and does not even know ahout it. Forget the signs.

posted by: ward 22 resident ALL THIS GOING BACK AND FORTH REALLY GETTING CHILDISH . THIS WARD VERY TOUCHING TO MY HEART BECAUSE OF MY GRANDFATHER (STANLEY ROGERS). HE NEVER RAN WITH A NEGATIVE WAY OF PUTIING DOWN OTHER CANDIDATES AS I SEE NOW . I SEE LISA AND JEANETTE ALL THE TIME . THERES ALOT OF NEGATIVE ENERGY BEING WASTED . THOSE SIGNS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU IF THE RESIDENTS HAD A PROBLEM YOU SHOULD OF DIRECTED THEM TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND HAD THE CANDIDATES TO PICK THERE OWN SIGNS .I AM NOT PUTTING DOWN NO CANDIDATES I AM JUST GETTING TIRED OF THE NEGATIVE ENERGY .

posted by: da hill on September 6, 2011 8:12pm Par for the course-When I ran political campaigns we would have campaign sign stealing contest. Comes with the Territory…just don’t get caught! LOL-Greg defending being caught with your opponents signs in your car is utter ridiculous…stay quiet on the subject and move on. As a throwback, I remember staying up working on campaigns till around 10:00 or so…we would all get together and come up with a number…whomever hit that number first won. The losers would buy dinner and a beer. Mayor Destefano, Sally Brown, Susie Voigt, a lot of the Co-Chairs, and other old school politicians have great stories about campaign sabotage.. First RULE OF CAMPAIGN SABOTAGE-Don’t Get Caught!

posted by: ward 22 resident on September 6, 2011 9:15pm i’ve been seeing all of the negative campaigning going on in this ward and greg has not retaliated not one bit. Jeanette morrison came to my house and was speaking bad about greg and so did lisa hopkins. All of the residents around here know that greg has been there for us and he is aeound all of the time and not just sometimes. he helped to get my nephew a job and my nephew was one that stayed on the streets. my nephew is doing really good now because of greg getting him a job and thats what residents look at when it comes time to vote. not lawn signs

posted by: Noteworthy on September 6, 2011 9:20pm If someone could ask ... to please return Kerekes’ signs, that would be helpful too. They’ve been taking them for weeks but have stepped it up in the last few days.

posted by: ACR What a slew of cheesy signs. Were *any* of them made in Connecticut, or are these candidates hypocrites when they express concern for our economy?

posted by: Monjah on September 7, 2011 12:40am Oh Yeah - This is someone I would want to run the city.

posted by: New sign technique on September 7, 2011 6:57am One only has to read the latest news in the NHI to determine the proper method of displaying campaign signs on public property.

1:Contact your local emergency service vehicle

garage,firehouse etc.

2:Request that your sign be attached to one of

fire trucks,emergency SUV’s,police cruisers

etc.

3:Throw out all forms of ethics as this method

must now be legal as noted by the mayor and

fire dept union’s actions

4:Go home and pray for numerous emergency

responses so that your sign gets the maximum

exposure.If praying fails call on your

supporters to “stage” emergencies which

require vehicle response

5:To handle complaints re the signs just call

the mayor.What he says is the law of the

land irregardless of what state and local

ordinances say.Remember,when Johnny talks,

the taxpayer no longer has any say because

he works for himself.Not you the taxpayer