Letter to the Editor:
Recently, there was a news item with video footage of Chris Barnett confronting a woman who was allegedly “stealing” one of his numerous election signs. My initial reaction was that he had staged this incident, given that he was recently accused of tampering with an opponent’s signs. This seemed wholly plausible, considering his character. However, it turned out the woman was performing a “civic duty” by removing the sign from public property, where it had been illegally placed in violation of current statutes.
So, who was actually “guilty” of wrongdoing here? Was it acceptable for her to pull up the sign? No, it should have been reported (though it’s doubtful anything would have been done about it). Was it acceptable for the candidate to illegally plant his sign on public property? No, and he should have known better. Was this a case of simple disregard for the law, or the hubris of someone who has grown wealthy at the expense of this community?
BRADY W. KEISTER
