Sign Slashing in Austin Mayor's Race

Stop the insanity (5.00 / 4)

KT...I thought it would be useful to weigh in for Brewster's campaign.  I contacted Lee's campaign a few weeks ago when KXAN reported the sign issue.  The same thing is happening to us, and it's pissing us off and costing us money.  Our signs are disappearing (2 and 3 times) from yards, and our 4x8s are being spray painted and removed.

I assured Lee's team that we have nothing to do with their losses, and they assured us the same.  I take them at their word, and I assume they took me at mine.

This is stupid.  

Brewster supporters:  If you're doing this....stop.  It's not productive.  It's illegal.  It runs counter to the message Brewster is promoting. And it upsets and motivates our opponents. We want to win this cleanly.  Dealing with this kind of nonsense doesn't help the cause.

I expect Lee's team has been as direct with their supporters.

Thanks.

cr

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by: Colin_Rowan @ Sun Apr 19, 2009 at 00:11:07 AM UTC

do you have some pictures? (0.00 / 0)

I hate this shit and most of the time is is by random people who for some reason hate politics enough that they take the time to interact with it in the for of cutting signs.

APD is aware of a couple people in town that regularly do this and anything we can do to bring them to light, I support. No one needs to have to suffer through this each election cycle.

Please read the Community Guidelines and How to Rate Comments.

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by: Karl-Thomas Musselman @ Sun Apr 19, 2009 at 00:37:38 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

no pics (0.00 / 0)

most of our damage is theft....they're just gone.  I think we took some pics, but I don't have them.  I'll try to track them down.

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by: Colin_Rowan @ Sun Apr 19, 2009 at 00:55:11 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Are The Signs In Vacant Lots? (0.00 / 0)

Are the signs in vacant lots or in a public right-of-way? It sure looks like they are. Maybe the asshole who put the signs there should have them plastered to his or her home.

I've no idea who is running for what in Austin, but the candidate who allows signs to be placed like that is no better than the person slashing the signs.

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by: Texas Liberal @ Sun Apr 19, 2009 at 03:52:50 AM UTC

Highway right-of-ways are illegal, (3.00 / 1)

but vacant lots tend to be free-for-alls, as long as there's no objection from the lot's owner. This is especially true for public space that's not part of a right-of-way. It's first-come, first-served, with common-sense rules about not blocking other candidates' signs with your own. In the bottom picture there's a Strayhorn sign, a Cavasos sign, and a Leffingwell sign, and they're placed correctly, with all signs visible.

Lloyd Doggett puts his signs only on private property with the permission of the owner, but he's the exception. As far as I know, everybody else pushes into the legally gray area.  

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by: LSadun @ Mon Apr 20, 2009 at 06:21:15 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

signs (0.00 / 0)

two McCracken signs have been stolen from our front yard.  I know neighbors have lost Leffingwell signs as well.

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by: EugeneS @ Sun Apr 19, 2009 at 12:40:40 PM UTC

every election (0.00 / 0)

this happens in nearly every election at nearly every level in nearly every part of the state.

one should always build in to their sign budget the inevitability that 15-20% of their signs are going to take a vacation.

it isn't unusual to find a stack of signs (or a burning stack of signs) on some random dirt road.

2-inch clear tape tends to repair the damage pretty effectively from my experience.

definitely seems directed at the campaign specifically. i sould assume (as posted earlier) that both campaigns are seeing this.

Please refer to KT's signature.

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by: colin @ Mon Apr 20, 2009 at 23:30:36 PM UTC