State’s attorney: No arrests in removal of anti-Trump signs
GREENWICH — No criminal charges will be sought after an investigation into accusations that town employees removed campaign signs from public property in October.
Stamford State’s Attorney Paul Ferencek said no arrests will be made in the case.
“The findings of the Greenwich Police revealed no criminal intent on (the part of) town employees who removed signs that were allegedly damaged or had been blown over,” Ferencek said Wednesday.
Ferencek did not elaborate on his statement.
The political action committee Greenwich Voices for Democracy filed a police complaint before the election that its signs had been taken down, allegedly by employees of the Department of Public Works.
The complaint prompted a Greenwich Police Department investigation, the findings of which were turned over to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
Police officials said the department’s report was based on interviews with witnesses, canvasses for video footage, inspections of the signs in question and interviews with the workers said to be responsible as well as their supervisors.
The workers have not
been identified publicly.
Greenwich Voices for Democracy used the signs in an attempt to link President Donald Trump to local Republican candidates. The PAC was co-founded by former Democratic Selectman Sandy Litvack, who at the time called it a “flagrant violation” of his group’s free speech rights to have its signs removed from public property while others were not.
On Wednesday, Litvack said he was disappointed by the decision to not go forward with charges.
“As I understand it, they concluded there was no intent and I think the facts are absolutely otherwise,” Litvack said. “I don’t know how they got to that conclusion, but I don’t think the facts bear that out. Of course there was intent.”
Litvack said he expected the PAC to be active again in the 2021 municipal election.
The PAC’s signs were reportedly twice removed from town property during late October. Litvack said more than 100 were removed, while others from both Republican and Democratic candidates were not. When some of the signs were put back up, a witness saw them being removed again, Litvack said.
Joe Rossetti, a town resident, said he saw the Greenwich Voices for Democracy signs removed from the traffic island on Milbank Avenue near East Putnam Avenue when he was walking to the YMCA.
“There were two workers from the Department of Public Works in a labeled DPW pickup truck,” Rossetti said in October. “I said, ‘Gentlemen do you mind if I ask why you’re removing these particular signs’ and they said, ‘We’re removing these because they’re offensive.’
“I asked them if they are any more offensive than the other (political signs) and who decided that these were particularly offensive. They said, ‘Call our boss,’” Rossetti said.
There were multiple reports of vandalism and stolen signs in town throughout the campaign season. In a separate incident, a town resident was charged with larceny and criminal mischief after she was allegedly seen taking a political sign, folding it in half and taking it to her vehicle.
First Selectman Fred Camillo is expected to discuss with the town’s legal department and the heads of the Republican and Democratic parties the possibility of an ordinance banning the placement of any signs on town property. Any such ordinance would need the approval of the Board of Selectmen and Representative Town Meeting.