A yard sign denouncing former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump as “unfit to lead” as it stood on Route 1 in Presque, Isle, Maine. (Courtesy of Gary Cole)
It has been chainsawed in half, knocked to the ground, and had its legs splintered by a mallet. Yet what’s said to be Northern Maine’s largest political sign is still standing.
Volunteering to put it up seemed sensible enough. The 2024 race to select America’s 47th president has been called one of the most consequential elections of our time. While we anticipated some drama, our efforts now feel like a metaphor — both tragic and comic — for where America finds itself today.
Across northern Maine, other signs have also come under attack. Nearly 80 were reported missing around Presque Isle last month, disappearing from both public and private property, according to one political party.
The Presque Isle Police Department has acknowledged the thefts. Interestingly, no local or state candidates have been targeted — only those in the presidential race. All 80 signs reported stolen supported the same candidate.
This theme is echoed across the country. In Missouri, where stealing campaign yard signs is a misdemeanor, a couple who had multiple go missing went high-tech to catch the culprits. After equipping replacement signs with AirTag tracking devices, they eventually found dozens in the trunk of a young man’s car.
Those signs were also only for the presidential race and supported the same candidate targeted in Presque Isle.
Which brings us back to our sign. Maine is one of a handful of states that has prohibitions against billboards, so we rely on small political signs, which are regulated in terms of size and location.
My family believes deeply in education, the rule of law, and service to country. My wife, now deceased, and I dedicated more than four decades to teaching and administering in Aroostook County public schools. One of our sons teaches at the community college here.
We’ve also long been involved in efforts to ensure free and fair elections locally, and we know that in Aroostook County, where life can be pretty rough and tumble at times, you’ve got to get a bit creative when exercising your free speech in these matters.
The chance for a sign arose. We connected with a national group of politically active veterans, started by a former Navy SEAL born in Maine. They were raising small amounts of money to place signs in rural America. Could we do it in northern Maine, at the top of our Congressional District 2, which has one precious electoral college vote, they asked.
We all agreed that one candidate has shown unprecedented disregard for the Constitution, rule of law, and has a character wholly unsuited to be president and commander-in-chief. That candidate has also shown no appreciation for service and sacrifice to the country, dodging the draft, insulting war heroes, and calling those who died overseas “suckers” and “losers.” That candidate has never seemed to sacrifice for anything greater than himself.
Military service is also a core value in our family. My brothers James, Ralph, and David served in Vietnam. My wife’s distant relatives were members of the U.S. Navy and Merchant Marines, sailing the high seas even before World War I.
So, we built our sign — big, bold, 4 by 12 feet, highlighting these issues. In a mission led by my son, we first put it up on a prime piece of private property. But the elder lady there — even older than me (I’m 80) — saw it and balked.
“I don’t think this will work,” she said. “I thought it was a sign supporting the other candidate, not one poking right at this guy. This might attract some trouble.”
So we moved it to downtown Presque Isle. It lasted less than a day. The Department of Transportation received so many complaints — because it was on public land — that when we went to collect it, we found it had been chainsawed right in half! An astute local journalist wrote the whole story up.
Undeterred, my son found another prime spot, private property again, along a busy road. Lo and behold, vandals struck again.
Alas, it is up once more and still standing, a testament to our belief in free expression. We feel good about taking a stand in this election and choosing an issue — the character required for leadership — that resonates with us.
Folks around here keep asking why we’re saying something bad about their candidate. We respond: if your candidate were truly good, why would you be out running around, stealing and smashing signs?
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