Help & Advice needed on confiscation of yard signs in Troy NH

[Raven]

Some of you know that my PAC, Swing the Vote, has yard signs which basically say "McSame - Voted 90% with Bush". We planted some on Troy Common in the company of dozens and dozens of other political yard signs. (BTW, our sign is the same size as all the others.) Our signs were taken down by the Troy Selectmen. The other signs remain. We received an angry voice message from the Selectmen this weekend telling us not to put any more up in Troy because our sign "carried a denegrating message" and was not allowed in the Town.

I've gone online and I guess Troy's Sign Ordinance is not posted. Tomorrow I'll get a copy of it to see if the Town really has a law banning "denegrating" signs. After all, it's not obscene, we are merely linking McCain with the President of the United States. Things must be pretty bad in the Republican Party when mentioning a candidate's support of the President is denegrating!!!

We are thinking of filing a complaint with the NH CLU. Would you advise doing this?

Is anyone here familiar with, or from, Troy NH?

[bigbrother05]

1. Think the "McSame" could be the problem

That could be read to "denegrate" the candidate.

Keep at them, you'll always have a tough time with entrenched politics.

[whistler162]

2. Well it is a denigrating sign...

What do the other signs say.

If one says Osama/Obama then you have a case. But, if all the others are just the candidates name and what they are running for then likely you won't win.

Why not show that you are an adult and put up a sign that says Obama/Biden instead of the juvenile one you used?

[yourguide]

7. Give it a rest.

Juvenille sign? Please.

[progressivebydesign]

3. I can only guess it was the "McSame" part. The other part is factual.

If there is any way to have signs that simply say "McCain - Voted 90% with Bush", then there is no way they could call that denigrating. If they find that voting 90% of the time with Bush is "denigrating", then that's their problem. Is it too late to get some signs with that change? I would ask them exactly what the problem was.

And no.. I don't find your signs "juvenile" at all, nor denigrating.

I would hate to live in a town where people are so in your business..

[Doremus]

4. Did they have any of the "Nobama" signs I've been seeing around?

I'd say those are pretty denigrating.

[MannyGoldstein]

5. Just Change "McSame" Toe "McCain"

Makes the point just as well, and the 90% figure is just a fact.

[LiberalFighter]

6. Contact your county Democratic Party chair.

If you have a Democratic council person contact that person.

[LiberalFighter]

8. Does it also prohibit displaying political yard signs in your front yard?

Considering Troy has about 700 there may be other alternatives that would do the job just fine.

They don't have jurisdiction leading into the town. Could have some signs just outside their jurisdiction.

[Motown_Johnny]

9. print out fliers and plaster them on telephone polls and trees.. let's see if their ordinance covers

that too