DARIEN — Thieves have apparently been stealing campaign lawn signs around town — from both parties.
F.X. Flaherty, a Post Road resident, says his signs supporting the re-election of President Donald Trump have repeatedly been stolen or destroyed.
“About two weeks ago, the local Republican committee dropped off at my house three Trump signs. I put up one sign on Saturday evening at about 5 p.m. and by the time I woke up on Sunday at 7:30 a.m., the sign was gone,” he said.
The Republican Town Committee then delivered three more replacement signs, Flaherty said.
He said the second sign was knocked over and tossed in the street later that day.
“Since that weekend, I have had two signs up in front of my house both of which have been knocked over a couple of times,” he said.
Flaherty said he is registered Democrat.
“I would like to vote Democratic, but given the choice between [former Vice President Joe] Biden and Trump, I will vote for Trump,” he said.
Flaherty said more important than the signs is what he called the “campaign of intimidation.”
He said his wife is concerned “that a person they don’t know feel so emboldened to tear down the Trump signs.”
Belinda Metzger, of the Republican Town Committee, said the Flaherty couple is not alone.
“I’ve heard from a couple of people who have had their Trump signs stolen or destroyed, in some cases, multiple times — one person told me that she and her husband now have to put their Trump sign in their garage at night in an effort to avoid its theft, but no one has told me they’ve lost signs for any other candidate … at least not yet,” she said.
It’s apparently happening on both sides of the aisle. In a letter to the editor, Martha Olson, of the Action Network of Darien Democrats, said “you can steal my Biden sign, but you can’t steal my vote!”
“In the dark of night, my Biden lawn signs were stolen. Since the down-ballot signs were left intact, I can only assume that the thief is a Trump supporter. Come out from the shadows! I am happy to discuss why I support Biden,” Olson wrote in the letter.
“I vote for moral character that would condemn stealing a lawn sign,” she said.
Ann Reed, of the Democratic Town Committee, said she put up a sign supporting state Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford, at Darien’s Baker Park along with signs already there for his opponent, Republican Dan Maymin.
“Someone took the Blumenthal sign. The Maymin signs are still there,” Reed said.
Reed and DTC Chairman David Bayne said they’d heard of sporadic signs being knocked down or taken, but nothing widespread.
Darien police Capt. Jeremiah Marron said the department has received complaints about sign theft or damage in the past.
“If the sign was damaged or destroyed, depending on the circumstances, we may consider a criminal mischief and or trespassing charges,” he said.
