PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – The Maine Department of Transportation removed an anti-Donald Trump sign from land near Presque Isle’s Main Street Thursday after it reportedly violated size and safety rules.
But those behind its installation are criticizing DOT workers for allegedly destroying the wooden sign and not giving them adequate time to remove it.
It’s the latest incident involving political campaign signs in Aroostook during a divisive election cycle. This week, the leader of Aroostook County Democrats said that over 80 Kamala Harris and Tim Walz signs have gone missing since last month.
The two-sided anti-Trump sign was paid for and owned by Veterans for Responsible Leadership, a Washington D.C.-based political action committee. According to the their mission statement, the group is “a fully inclusive, nonpartisan organization” that opposes what they see as threats to “the integrity of American democracy.”
On the online platform Medium, the group describes their “Unfit to Lead” campaign, during which they previously placed anti-Trump billboards and signs in Wisconsin and Georgia.
The signs include a large image of Trump and criticize his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the U.S. Capitol, supposed derogatory remarks against veterans and what the PAC sees as his admiration for dictators like Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Woodland resident Matt Cole said Friday that he placed a double-sided version of the sign on behalf of Veterans for Responsible Leadership at the intersection of Main and North streets in Presque Isle Tuesday.
Cole is a registered Democrat but not a member of Veterans for Responsible Leadership. He said that the group’s founder, Dan Barkhoff, contacted him through a mutual acquaintance.
Cole said that he and Veterans for Responsible Leadership were notified early Thursday morning that they needed to remove the sign because it was 4 feet high by 14 feet wide but state law only permits signs that are 4 feet high by 8 feet wide at right of ways.
When Cole went to Presque Isle to remove the sign Thursday morning, he said he found it destroyed on the ground. One side appeared to have been cut in half with a chainsaw, and the supporting legs possibly broken with a sledgehammer, he said.
Maine law states that sign owners have up to 14 days to remove any sign that violates rules and regulations. The law also states signs that pose safety hazards can be immediately removed by authorities.
Cole said he took issue with the short notice from Maine DOT and the way in which the sign was destroyed.
“We didn’t realize the sign was too big for a right of way,” Cole said. “If they had complaints and it needed to be taken down, that’s one thing. But destroying somebody’s sign is another thing.”
Maine DOT spokesperson Paul Merrill said Friday that the sign stand’s construction made it difficult to take down without destroying the legs and one of the signs.
In photos provided by Cole, the two-sided sign appears to have been supported by wooden posts on the left and right sides, and additional two-legged beams on the left and back sides.
Merrill also stated that the sign’s size posed safety hazards for drivers that might see it and become distracted. The sign also did not have the state required markings with the owner’s name, address and date of placement.
Temporary signs, including those for election campaigns, can be displayed at public right of ways for no more than six weeks from January 1 to June 30 and for no more than six weeks from July 1 to Dec. 31, according to state law.
Cole said he plans to repair the sign that was sawed in half and put up both signs again, most likely on private property in Presque Isle.
Veterans for Responsible Leadership has 500 members throughout Maine and previously placed signs in Wisconsin and Georgia. The sign in Presque Isle marked the campaign’s first stop in Maine. Most signs are placed in counties where a majority of residents have voted for Trump in prior presidential elections, according to a spokesperson for the veterans group.
Barkhoff said that the group remains committed to placing the signs in Maine to promote free speech for veterans who oppose Trump.
