Just when it seemed like the great sign caper had been solved, more campaign signs were stolen this week in Rochester Hills.
Last week a number of candidates for Rochester Hills City Council said their signs were stolen or vandalized after being placed on supporters’ lawns. Incumbent Councilman Martin Brennan, who is not a candidate, made a police report after the signs of several candidates were vandalized on his lawn. He was still steamed Monday night, when he brought a sign that had been sliced into pieces to the city-council meeting and made a plea for civility.
“We all have our candidates we want to support, but we want to have a clean election,” he said. “This just isn’t becoming of Rochester Hills. We may have our issues, we may have our disagreements. But I don’t think we need to resort to stealing signs, vandalizing then, resorting to that kind of behavior. We really have too much class for that. I hope in the future we can cease and desist from this kind of stuff. Let’s have a clean campaign from now until November.”
Just by chance, council candidate Dee Hilbert, who was among those whose signs went missing, solved the mystery. While campaigning on Independence, she came upon a recycling bin full of campaign signs. She made a police report, and when police contacted the residents, they learned that the signs—about 150 belonging to various candidates—had mysteriously appeared on their lawn. The residents, who have a teenage daughter, said they felt it was their daughter’s friends playing a prank, according to Hilbert.
Hilbert retrieved her own signs and contacted several of the other candidates. “It was very nice of Dee to let me know the signs turned up,” said council candidate Mark Tisdel. “I’m assuming the residents (on Independence) are not the same individuals that took the signs.”
However, that’s not where the story ends. This week Hilbert signs were stolen three times from a supporter’s lawn at Royal Doulton and Tienken. Hilbert said the thefts occurred after the other stolen signs were found on Independence.
“People are watching,” the candidate said. “So if they get a license plate or identify anybody, they’ll be reporting it to the police. Because it’s against the law.”
By ANNETTE KINGSBURY
Interesting you put a sign that breaks the rules of RH being in the right of way or too close to the road. At least this year I have not seen a city employee taking signs of one candidate and placing a sign of another!
While everyone is blaming the youth for sign stealing — Why are there no solutions to fix the issues? I would hope we are above Kids will be Kids!