District 18 Delegate candidate Vanessa Atterbeary has resumed her placement of illegal campaign signs all over the district, even after getting a warning from the Town of Kensington. But her pervasive abuses have finally forced law enforcement to crack down.
First, here’s a brief tour of just a few of the illegal signs. Note that candidates are forbidden to erect signs on State Highway Administration (SHA) right of way, including medians.
Veirs Mill median at Havard.
Veirs Mill, east median at Norris.
East-West Highway, east of Grubb Road, south median.
Connecticut Avenue, southbound, Beltway exit to Virginia, two signs. This is a sharp curve and drivers should not be distracted here.
Sligo Creek Parkway at University Boulevard, two signs. These signs are a big problem since they are on county-owned property in Sligo Creek Park.
A Park Police officer arrived at the scene and removed them. You know a candidate is doing something illegal if he or she is forcing the police to act!
Campaigns sometimes make mistakes with signs, especially when they are placed by over-enthusiastic and under-educated interns. But there have been so many illegal Vanessa Atterbeary signs that they point to a deliberate strategy of placing them. After all, if the consequences are slight and the benefit – name recognition for an unknown challenger – is substantial, why not litter the district? If Atterbeary is allowed to get away with this, other candidates will eventually follow suit and MoCo will go the way of Prince George’s County.
To paraphrase Atterbeary’s campaign slogan: Now is the Time… to OBEY THE LAW.
Disclosure: the author is the Treasurer of the District 18 Democratic Team.