October 16, 2017

Last night’s mass deployment of unauthorized/illegal signs by the Lusk campaign is yet another example of how Mr. Lusk has operated for 12 years as a Council Member . . . bending, breaking, and flaunting the rules for himself and the Special Interests he represents.  It is yet another egregious example of dirty politics perpetrated by Mr. Lusk in our City.

For weeks, this blog’s readers have been urging me to weigh in on the issue of campaign signs.  With some justification, readers have contended that the Lusk campaign is breaking/skirting Milton’s sign ordinances.  Lusk’s placement of signs around last week’s Crabapple Fest were especially egregious, prompting some citizen complaints to the City.  However, I decided to steer clear of this fight, as I believe—or believed—that the election focus needs to be on substantive issues of policy and how candidates comport themselves in the conduct of government business.  My sense was that the Lusk campaign was baiting its opponents on the sign issue—that is, creating a distraction from  substantive issues and attempting to drag Ms. Bentley’s campaign into the mud.  However, last night, the Lusk campaign crossed a line and made sign placement a substantive campaign issue . . .

Last night, many of dozens of signs were plastered on properties in and around the Crabapple area.  As you know, early voting for city elections begins today.  The signs were placed to cover all approaches to the Milton City library, which is Milton’s only polling location for early voting.

All of these new signs seem to have been installed by a single group of individuals, as they all appeared last night and all seem to have been installed in similar fashion–deeply planted and perfectly perpendicular to the road.

Most/all of these signs appear to be unauthorized/illegal–i.e., were installed without property owners’ permission.  Given the timing (on the evening before early voting), the rapid deployment, the large quantity of signs, and the clearly illegal placement of the signs (discussed below), these signs represent a serious threat to the integrity of our local elections. 

I cite as evidence of illegal/unauthorized sign placement:

• Signs are placed on the property line between 2 homes, making it ambiguous if either homeowner (and likely neither) authorized/placed the signs.  (We have seen such suspicious placements elsewhere in the City.)
• Many signs are clearly and purposely in the right-of-way
• Signs are placed on city property–Alpharetta (e.g., Alpharetta Government Center) and Milton (e.g., Broadwell Pavilion)
• Signs are placed on HOA property (e.g., Kensington Farms and Six Hills).  It has been confirmed that at least one of these placements was unauthorized.
• Placements are generally not in front of homes/businesses, but along the fence lines of  neighborhoods, on empty lots, etc.

Concerned citizens have verified with one property owner that placement of a Lusk sign on her property was not authorized.  Concerned citizens are currently verifying other unauthorized placements.

I hope and trust that the City is going to take prompt and meaningful corrective action regarding this situation.  Expeditious sign removal and resolution of this matter are needed to ensure the integrity of our local elections.  Given the magnitude of this sign deployment the night before early voting and previous infractions, the Lusk campaign should be made to provide an explanation.

Given that this is not the Lusk campaign’s first sign offense, it concerns me that the Lusk campaign is showing a pattern of disregard for local regulations about placement of campaign signs.  Lusk has been in office for 12 years.  He knows the rules and is purposely flaunting them.  Lusk has obviously calculated that the ramifications of this breach of Milton’s sign laws are outweighed by the benefits of exposure conferred by such a large deployment of signs on the first day of early voting.  This is the Bill Lusk that I have come to know over the past two years.  Lusk holds himself up as a paragon of virtue while shamelessly flaunting the rules.  Lusk’s callous disregard for principles of good governance has caused much dysfunction in our City.  Citizens, Mr. Lusk has given us yet another reason—as if there weren’t enough—to unceremoniously remove him from office.  Milton deserves much better than this.  Early voting begins today . . . Vote Today For Bentley.  And please forward this post to your friends, neighbors, and family.

Advocating For Clean Elections,

Tim Becker