Signs of the times in town’s upcoming elections: Placards pop up that some think illegal - they’re not

By RICK COLLINS
The Patriot Ledger

BRAINTREE - Braintree is a bumper-sticker kind of town.

While political lawn signs sprout up like dandelions on front lawns across the South Shore during election season, Braintree voters have traditionally chosen to express their support for a candidate on the backsides of their cars.

And sometimes even on the tops of them.

‘‘In the ’70s, we were a roof-rack town,’’ said John Dennehy, a long-time observer of town politics and former selectman. ‘‘There were roof racks everywhere.’’

But rarely if ever has a Braintree politician spent money on lawn signs. Not because they’re illegal - they aren’t, although the dearth of the signs could lead someone to think so - but rather out of a strong distaste for them around the town.

‘‘Some elected officials have felt having lawn signs would actually hurt them because so many people were against them,’’ said Dennehy. ‘‘So it was almost self-policing.’’

But that political tradition may be changing, just as the town’s form of government also gets ready to change.

Lawn signs are already starting to pop up across town as candidates begin jockeying to become Braintree’s first mayor.

‘‘It’s the only way for me to get my name out,’’ said Paul Walsh, who has red, white and blue signs sprinkled around town.

Doing so, however, has left him open to accusations of lawbreaking by political opponents, Walsh claims. The Howard Street resident says almost a dozen of his supporters have been told by backers of another candidate that they are violating a town bylaw forbidding political signs.

He says others have refused to sign his nomination papers for that reason.

‘‘One gentleman told me, ‘I can’t sign your papers; you’re already breaking the law,’’’ Walsh said.

But he isn’t.

Both the town clerk’s office - which oversees municipal elections - and the building inspector’s office say it is legal for residents to stick political lawn signs in their front yards.

‘‘What I was told was that some people in Braintree, especially the older folks, don’t like them, but they’re completely legal,’’ said Walsh, a small-business owner making his first run for town-wide office.

Dennehy said he remembered the issue coming up during his time as a selectman in the early ’90s. He said although the town at the time had a bylaw banning political lawn signs, town lawyers ultimately advised that it was in violation of state law that allows the signs.

‘‘Town counsel said if it goes to court we were going to lose,’’ Dennehy remembered. ‘‘He said basically we should stay out of it.’’

Over the years, the ban on lawn signs has become more of a gentlemen’s agreement than a formal prohibition. But at least three of the four men running for mayor say they will use them.

Brian Muello, of Academy Street, said in addition to knocking on doors, he also sees the value in lawn signs. He said he was at Sunset Lake on Tuesday night and people recognized his name from seeing the signs and wanted to find out more about him.

However, Muello campaign stickers have been seen on utility boxes at street corners and on other public property, which is against the law.

Muello said someone put them there, but he doesn’t know who.

There have also been a few lawn signs around town in support of Selectman and mayoral candidate Joseph Powers.

Powers is out of town this week, but his campaign manager, Bill Damatin, said the organization has asked supporters to keep the signs in their front windows - for now.

‘‘We’d like to use them about two weeks out, but we don’t want them all over town,’’ he said. ‘‘We don’t want the whole town to look like it’s for sale.’’

Joseph Sullivan is the lone mayoral candidate to say unequivocally he will not use lawn signs.

‘‘It’s a tradition, and I’m going to honor that tradition. I’ve never used lawn signs, and I don’t intend to start now,’’ he said. ‘‘Others can do what they want. But littering lawns with signs is not my approach. My campaign is about shoe leather.’’

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Rick Collins may be reached at rcollins@ledger.com .

Copyright 2007 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Thursday, July 19, 2007