VOLUNTOWN- A Voluntown property owner is proudly displaying his political preferences, but town officials say he is violating zoning laws.



Voluntown property owner Arist Johnson, a Griswold resident, has erected two signs 15-feet high supporting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump along heavily traveled Route 138. Now Johnson has received a cease-and-desist letter from the zoning enforcement officer who says the signs violate zoning rules.



Zoning Enforcement Officre Peter Zvingilas said it’s the signs, not their message.



The signs are too big and Johnson did not apply to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a permit to install them, Zvingilas said.



Johnson said he installed the signs 15 feet high because smaller roadside signs were repeatedly removed.

"Someone put a sign on the corner. Three times they took it down. I looked at that and I said, 'I have a better idea.' That’s why I put it up so high," he said.

Johnson said the height of the sign will prevent any vandals from taking it down.



"I’d like to see someone try," he said.



Zvingilas sent Johnson the letter asking for him to come into his office to discuss the matter.



"I just wanted to reach out to initiate some communication with him," he said.



Johnson said he received the letter but hasn’t opened it. He said he doesn’t plan to remove the signs.



"If he wants to speak to me I live just a mile down the road and he can come and talk to me," he said. "The sign is on my property. I have a right to express my views."



According to regulations, a residential property can't have a sign exceeding 2 square feet identifying the resident of the home. A sign advertising a home business cannot exceed 4 square feet and must be set back at least 10 feet from any property line.



Wendy Gauthier, of Volutown, said she thinks the town's problem with the sign is more politically motivated. She said Johnson's choice to put up a sign comes down to freedom of speech.



"I wasn't a big Trump fan, but he does have the nomination of my party. Even if it was a Hillary or Bernie sign I still wouldn't have a problem with it. It's not blocking traffic," she said.



The town should adopt zoning regulations that have an exception for political signs, she said.



"It's not for a business and it's not making money," she said. "Why not?"



Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, but Johnson is a registered Democrat. He said he's supporting Trump because the candidate is not a traditional politician.



"He's going to clean up this country," he said.



Johnson designed one of the signs and purchased the other from Trump's campaign online.



He said if the town takes him to court, he will fight it.



"They can waste their money and take me to court, but I will delay it. And by the time I have to go to court the election will be over and by that time Trump would have been half way done with cleaning up the country," he said.