Oyster Bay supervisor accused of taking down rival's political signs

<p>The Oyster Bay town supervisor is being accused of taking down campaign signs that belong to his rival.</p>

News 12 Staff

Oct 3, 2017, 7:39 PM

Updated 2,566 days ago

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The Oyster Bay town supervisor is being accused of taking down campaign signs that belong to his rival.
Sea Cliff Village Administrator Bruce Kennedy told News 12 Long Island that on Sunday morning, Republican Supervisor Joe Saladino asked him to take down political signs. Kennedy said he didn't because a village ordinance allows them. Kennedy said Saladino then asked him if it was legal for someone else to take down the signs and Kennedy said he wasn't sure. At that point, Kennedy said Saladino walked over to a utility pole and took down one of the signs.
Saladino refused to confirm or deny that he took down the sign. 
"There is no doubt in my mind, and the mind of our attorneys, and, quite frankly, all attorneys that checked the law, that it is illegal for anyone to place any kind of signs on utility poles," Saladino said at a Town Board meeting Tuesday.
Under Nassau County law, the placement of signs of any kind on utility poles is illegal. But Sea Cliff officials say their village ordinance does allow signs on utility poles.
A spokesperson for Saladino provided a letter from LIPA saying that the utility prohibits any kind of political signs on its poles.
In a separate incident, Oyster Bay Town Board candidate James Vorsocki says he took photos of two town employees taking down Democratic political signs.
"To think that somebody is gonna be so worried about signs and try to suppress free speech, it's really troubling to me as a citizen," says Vorsocki. "Quite frankly, this is a reason why normal people really don't like to get involved in politics."