A town in Massachusetts is trying to remove a “Trump 2024” sign that has been projected from a resident’s property onto a local water tower for nearly a week, according to Boston.com.
The resident projecting the Donald Trump endorsement, who has not been named, was issued a cease-and-desist order by the town of Hanson on Friday for violating sign regulations that bar political messages from being put on municipal property.
The projection has not been taken down since Friday, and to fight it, the town has used three spotlights to dim it and has fined the resident $100 per day.
Regarding the “Trump 2024” logo, Hanson’s town administrator Lisa Green said that the projection “misleads the public into believing that this activity is sanctioned by or condoned by the town,” according to a John Guilfoil Public Relations press release.
Green said, “The Town of Hanson respects the free speech rights of all residents, and the right of all residents to express their political views. But not on Town property or in a manner that makes it appear that the Town of Hanson is endorsing any political candidate.”
In another updated statement on Wednesday, Green said, “The town will continue its efforts to dim the image with spotlights and fine the resident each day that the image continues to be projected onto Town property,” and added that no further updates were available at the time.
A “Trump 2024” MAGA sign a yard on October 3. A resident in a Massachusetts town is being fined $100 per day for projecting the “Trump 2024” logo onto a local water tower.
Valerie Plesch/Associated Press
Newsweek reached out to Green for comment via her email.
The $100 per day fine is meant to cover the costs incurred by the town to conceal the logo, but the fine is reportedly not enough to cover all of Hanson’s costs relating to the Trump logo on the water tower.
In a statement, Green said, “This individual’s actions have the potential to cost a significant amount of taxpayer dollars, including attorney fees, overtime to pay Highway Department workers to turn the spotlight on and off each day, and the potential for having to rent or purchase stronger lighting equipment. The $100 per day fine will likely not cover these expenses.”
Hanson’s regulations regarding displaying political signage state, “Political signs are allowed in all zoning districts on private property with the property owner’s authorization; there is no placement of political signage on municipal property. Political signs are not limited in size however, public safety is key and structures will require a building permit.”
According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, the government can only restrict the posting of political signage on municipal property if “there is a law that applies to all signs regardless of what they say, and if that law is supported by the government’s interest, for instance, in promoting traffic safety or keeping the space visually appealing.”
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