10/10/2024
This is a state senate campaign post, but it's going here on my old local page too.
Campaigns are supposed to post smiling photos at local events, greeting voters.
This is not that post.
This is me, on my ladder, removing an unapproved sign from a Verizon-owned utility pole in the summer of 2021.
You might be asking yourself, why share this? Because politics can be an ugly business. Because apparently there is a sanctioned attempt to discredit me and my reputation by any means. My opponent's campaign has already tried - unsuccessfully and ironically - to file a campaign finance violation against me. Now they want to try to have charges pressed against me over a three-year-old removal of an illegal sign.
Look - if you're going to vote against me for state senate because you disagree with me on real issues that affect our daily lives - well, I am sorry to have not earned your support, but you have my respect for going to the polls and exercising your right to VOTE.
But - I refuse to let trumped-up stories that twist facts just to rage-bait be the reason.
Still reading?
I was a member of the Rutland Tricentennial town committee, and was in charge of the banner program. We had voted as a group what was allowable on the banners. Understandably, not only would no profanity be allowed, but any political messaging would also be rejected. The tricentennial year was meant to be a family-friendly community builder, not create division.
I designed every one of the banners myself, as applications and payment to the town committee came in from businesses, nonprofits and families, and I sent them to our printer. I ordered the hardware. Several local businesses donated hours of their time, over several days, to install the banners for the town. The banners stretched up and down Main Street and Maple Avenue.
The sign in the photo had been previously submitted to the Committee, and the requester (a committee member themselves) was told directly that it could not be approved, as per the committee's own application rules. I would add here that it took a lot of work to get approval from Verizon for the town to even be able to put up these banners, and this one was going to jeopardize that approval, which came with Verizon's own requirements about content.
After months of our banners being up, with great success, the requester privately ordered, privately paid for, and privately installed the denied banner, removing the existing family banner that had been up for weeks, all without town permission of any kind.
I did not know about this until, as the known town contact for the town banner program, I started to receive a lot of messages and calls. It was a Sunday evening, and I decided to remove it myself. That is my ladder. The others in the photo only stopped when they saw me because they were concerned for my safety, which I do appreciate.
The rest of the people who stopped or slowed did so only to take photos and video. One person who stopped was very belligerent, called the police, and called for me to be arrested. Our good Rutland Police officers who responded deescalated the situation, noting the only person who could press charges was the owner of the sign, and took it. I want to say here, and I hope all of our officers know this, how much I value and appreciate our RPD, our chief, and the good community police department he has cultivated. They always had my unequivocal support while I was elected, and they have it now.
Someone who's been trolling me online argued that the banner should have been removed "by the town". Perhaps. But "the town" hadn't installed any of them - volunteers did. And it was a Sunday evening. Should I have called 911, asked for the town ladder truck to be deployed? Called the hardworking contractor on a Sunday evening, who had volunteered his time previously, to scramble a bucket truck? I was still officially a member of the town committee, I was still the banner program contact.
I had a conversation with the person directly involved after this happened, who ironically was no longer a Rutland resident even when they had the illegal sign installed. The person apologized, said they would not press charges. I offered to pay back the cost of the sign, since I was not able to remove it in a single piece. My offer was declined at the time, but if this person would now like the money for it, I would still be happy to pay. (Though it feels a bit like reimbursing a graffitist for their spray paint.)
The sign was put up without permission. Thousands of people drive on Rutland's Main Street every single day. And if it had said something against any current or former politician, against the police, or quite frankly anything else hateful, I WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAME THING. Anyone who knows me, knows this to be true. Not one more person was going to drive by, seeing that sign and *thinking the town was responsible for it*.
In an attempt to incite anger, incite rage, incite hate, someone came up with this story to try to convince you that I am against free speech. That because I removed an illegal sign, I am going to take someone's personal flag from their personal property. And if I am going to steal someone's flag from their property, I'm also going to take their guns. It's ludicrous.
This entire story, that seems to be making the rounds right now, has been dragged up from 3+ years ago, just to try to upset people. Well - I am still upset about it too. The person involved and I had worked really well together on local issues - for years. We got stuff done. And for the most part, we agreed on the method of getting there. We left national politics at the door - they were irrelevant to what we were dealing with in front of us, our *Rutland* issues.
People keep asking me for a quick soundbyte on why I'm running. Because stuff like this divisive, useless, time-wasting story is exactly why we aren't getting things done for us in Boston right now. Because this district deserves someone with integrity, someone who actually cares about our real local issues, and who is focused on working towards getting real results.
