Give Municipal Candidates their Space!

As you know, we are only 28 or so days away from Municipal elections here in Connecticut. For those who haven't marked their calendars - for Republicans Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2011. (Nancy DiNardo has asked me to remind everyone that this year Democrats are holding their Election Day on Wednesday, November 9, 2011; Union slobs: please mark your calendars). 

But seriously, if you are looking to really help make a difference - please contact your local Republican Town Committee or local Republican Registrar and ask how you can get involved.  These Municipal Campaigns are low budget, and we need volunteers to put up signs, distribute literature, walk with candidates, and make phone calls to energize voter turnout. Volunteerism is the key to winning locally!  So please reach out and donate a few hours of your time to a worthy cause - and remember this cause is your own!

Now onto the business at hand....

REPORTED: Here is one selfish SOB
 who thinks he's more important than
those Republicans running locally

It has come to The King's attention that several Connecticut Republican Senatorial and Congressional Candidates have begun placing their campaign signs up all over Connecticut.  In short, doing so is nothing short of RUDE!  There is no reason whatsoever for that these candidates can't show a bit of restraint and respect and wait until after Municipal elections are over before hogging up premium roadside locations to engage in self-promotion!

As one TKV reader pointed out, "Not everyone is in tune with who the candidates are for which election, so [these signs] are adding confusion as well as clutter."

The King offers a few simple solutions for readers fed-up with seeing Congressional and Senatorial Campaign signs up so early:

1.  Know the law.  Contact your town officials and ask what the town ordinance says about how many days before an election a candidate may post signs. There may also be state laws about the timing of sign placement before elections.  (If the sign is in violation and is a Republican sign, go to Step #2, if the sign if a Democrat sign, go immediately to Step #3 and Step #4).  Also, The King is well aware that Federal Law trumps local and state law with regard to Freedom of Speech issues, but some ordinances are still in place and may be worth reviewing.

2.  Contact the campaigns in violation.  Giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, assume that some Congressional and Senatorial Candidates may not know the local ordinances or might need to a little reminder (Remember, most candidates and campaign do know the rules because the majority of people running these campaigns have been doing it for years. Now, if they blow you off or give you any lip - hang up and move to step #3). 

3. Report violators. If you determine that a Congressional or Senatorial Candidate is breaking the law, report them to town or city officials.  If the violations are continuous, contact the State Elections Enforcement Commission, and your local newspaper.  I'm sure both would love to hear from you.

4. Take a Photo and send them to The King.  We'd be happy to post photos and report locations of violators.  We are particularly interested in those signs are illegally placed now and disrupting the flow of Municipal elections.  Include location (street number and town/city), and cite your confirmation that the sign is illegal.

5. Illegal Publicly placed signs: If the signs are on public property illegally.  I believe you can contact police and ask if you can remove them, or simply ask the police to remove them.

6  Punish selfish candidates during the Primary by casting a vote against them.  If a candidate can't show respect for local candidates and local government then why send him or her to Capitol Hill? They obviously could care less about anyone but themselves! And don't forget to spread the word.  The power of word of mouth is far more influential than anything else - use it!

Warning:  If someone is in violation of any state or local campaign law on private property, DO NOT take it upon yourself to remove the sign. It is illegal to do so!  If you get caught, you could face arrest, a nasty fine ,and may end up with your name listed in the paper. 

So let's hope that all Congressional and Senatorial Candidates heed my advice, show some class, and remove their signs NOW!  Even if it's not illegal to place campaign signs over a year in advance of the election, it's still a blight and an annoyance to everyone. Refusal to do so begs the question of whether or not such a candidate is fit to serve at all.

I AM

THE KING

This original blog entry can be found at http://www.thekingsview.blogspot.com