“Anyone who spends $12 each on campaign signs is totally frivolous with their donors money. This is why our city has lost 24mil in 4 years and the current administration (including Young) is doing everything to avoid answering questions about bleeding city taxpayers money. The office of Mayor requires fiscal responsibility and professionalism which my opponent is not demonstrating. Conservatives understand that it’s important to get good value for money spent. Professionals don’t jump to conclusions and blame innocent people. Does anyone really want a Mayor that makes false accusations without any proof and runs to the newspaper pointing fingers??” ~ Christina Williams
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Mayoral candidates say campaign signs going missing
By Paul Nielsen The Daily Advance Staff Writer
All three candidates running for Elizabeth City mayor say they are finding that hundreds of their campaign yard signs are disappearing across the city.
Kirk Rivers, Christina Williams and Jeannie Young are running for mayor in Tuesday’s nonpartisan municipal election. Early voting is underway and ends Saturday.
Young said Tuesday that around 200 of her campaign signs have been stolen over the last three weeks.
Williams said Tuesday afternoon while greeting voters at one-stop voting that several hundred of her campaign signs have also been stolen.
Rivers said his campaign has seen yard signs disappear but he did not describe the missing campaign signs as being stolen.
Most of the signs that Young claims to have been stolen have been taken from public rights of way in the city. But several have also been stolen from supporters’ homes, she said.
Young, who currently represents the First Ward on City Council, did not directly accuse anyone of stealing her signs. However, she indirectly pointed the finger at Williams’ campaign.
She said her signs have been stolen twice at some locations. Shortly afterward, yard signs promoting Williams’ campaign have appeared at the same locations, she said.
“This is the catch and the funny thing is, when my signs come up, Christina Williams’ signs replace them,” Young said. “I find that odd that all my signs have been taken up and all her signs have been put down in the same spot where mine were. It’s almost like they are leaving a calling card.”
Williams flatly denied Young’s assertion that her campaign is responsible for Young’s missing signs.
“I’ve had absolutely nothing to do with any signs disappearing,” Williams said. “I’ve had nothing to do with it and I have had a lot of my signs removed.”
Williams said she went to the N.C. Department of Transportation and the city’s Public Works Department to see if they had removed signs but found none.
“The grass-cutting people are taking them as far as we can tell,” Williams said. “It is just not my signs, it’s just not her (Young’s) signs, it is everybody’s signs.’’
Rivers said his campaign is trying to stay positive and moving forward when it comes to missing campaign signs.
“Some people may have picked them up and taken them to their house,” Rivers said. “Some of the places we have placed them, they are not there anymore. Everything will work itself out.”
Young estimates that most of the yard signs she has put out on public rights of way have been taken. Young said she has not filed a police report and doesn’t plan to because it would be hard to prove who took them.
“If they are not in someone’s yard, they have been taken,” Young said. “I have to assume they are being destroyed. I think it is childish and it shows the type of character that they (the persons taking them) have. I think it is petty to file a police report because I don’t want to follow a bad action up with another bad action.”
Young said her campaign is not replacing the yard signs that have gone missing. She said each sign costs around $12. Williams said her signs cost around $5 each.
“Those signs are expensive,” Young said.
Young said she believes that having signs stolen is a compliment to her campaign.
“Someone must think I’m doing something right,” Young said. “The only reason someone would take up my signs is because they feel I am going to win.”
Williams has a different take on the election, saying voters she has talked with are dissatisfied with the direction of the city.
“I think she (Young) is a little nervous,” Williams said.
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