A cheeky Massachusetts resident has sparked chaos and intense debate after projecting a pro-Trump message on his small town’s water tower.
Hanson City Manager Lisa Green has made furious efforts to stop the anonymous culprit from placing “Trump 2024” on city property.
“This misleads the public into believing that this activity is sanctioned or tolerated by the city,” he wrote in a statement.
The Republican-leaning political message was first noted Friday night. Green said the resident will be fined $100 each day until he stops.
A cease and desist order is being prepared, and Highway Department employees have trained a spotlight on the area to try to block the screening.
A Hanson resident has sparked controversy by projecting ‘Trump 2024’ on a water tower
Hanson Town Manager Lisa Green has made furious efforts to arrest the resident. In the photo: the town hall.
“This individual’s actions have the potential to cost taxpayers a significant amount of dollars, including attorney fees, overtime to pay Highway Department workers to turn lights on and off each day, and the possibility of having to rent or buy more powerful lighting equipment. Green wrote.
He pointed to the city bylaws as another argument against a resident not following them.
The city’s sign regulation law states: ‘Political signs are permitted in all zoning districts on private property with the permission of the property owner; political signs are not posted on municipal property.’
Green emphasized that Hanson, which is home to fewer than 11,000 people, “respects the free speech of all residents,” but people can’t make it look like the city endorses any political candidate.
Massachusetts municipal water tower has been used to share a political message
Since the city began lighting the water tower, the slogan has gone undetected. But residents told NBC10 they wonder if the person will project his message again once the city stops.
The situation has caused quite a stir among the citizens of Hanson. Some said they believe the city is wasting time, money and resources trying to stop the resident.
“You shouldn’t tie up police and other resources for something like that, but at the same time, it’s America, you can say whatever you want,” said Hanson resident Paul Riley. NBC10.
“They should just let him sign and not spend the money to fuel the generator,” resident Kevin Welch told the outlet.
On social media, people showed their support for both sides of the argument.
One Facebook user simply wrote that the person responsible “should be fined” for violating city laws.
Hanson’s bylaws state that political signs cannot be displayed on city property. like the water tower
A sunset over Hanson (file image) The city is home to fewer than 11,000 people.
But another person argued that “he’s not technically in the tower, so they shouldn’t be able to fine him.”
“So much for freedom of expression,” someone said.
Others saw the situation through a political lens, saying that “if it were Biden’s thing, they’d leave it at that.”
A Republican presidential candidate has not won in Massachusetts, which tends to be a liberal state, since Ronald Reagan in 1984.
“I hope this guy gets a GoFundMe to cover the fines and keeps it up,” said one Facebook user who favors pro-Trump sentiment.
Republican candidate Donald Trump may have a “lean” toward Kamala Harris, according to modeling simulations
For the first time, an election model from DailyMail.com/JL Partners on Monday indicated a slight “lean” in favor of Donald Trump over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Trump also led in several swing states. It would take the overall win in 62.4 percent of the model’s simulations, compared to 59.8 percent last week.
Harris has a nearly 40 percent chance of victory, meaning the election could still be one of the closest in history.