By Brian Massie, A Watchman on the Wall
Every couple of years a relative calm in the community ramps up to a frenzy of hyperbolic rhetoric with incumbent politicians trying to get us to forget about their voting records, and newbies to politics telling us why we should vote for them
We know that the political season is in full swing when we see “Vote for (insert name)” signs in front yards, and in strategically positioned spots for maximum visibility. A lot of money is collected by candidates for all positions, and those higher in the food chain require more money in order to be elected. It is not uncommon for a candidate to spend $100,000, of either their own or donors’ money, to secure a Lake County Commissioner’s position. A former candidate spent over $300,000 to secure a Commissioner’s seat, only to resign before the first meeting was held.
What I have also noticed is that the political season can bring the worst out in people. For example, I witnessed a neighbor taking pictures of a candidate sign in my front yard. A day or so later I was notified by the Board of Elections of a compliant filed stating that the sign did not have the required “Paid for by ……” notice on the sign. I promptly showed the Board of Election that that allegation was false.
Political signage is a very important tool for candidates to get name recognition in the community. The majority of voters do not pay attention to local politics, therefore, getting name recognition is paramount, especially for those newbies.
Each political season we hear about political signs being stolen. We understand that a person in Ohio, if found guilty, can be charged with a misdemeanor and find up to $1,000.
https://www.13abc.com/2020/10/28/man-caught-on-camera-stealing-campaign-signs/
Well, it has happened again! This time it is the existing Willoughby Hills Council President, and candidate for Mayor, Mr. Chris Hallum, that has been accused of removing the signs of his opponent, Ms. Laura Pizmoht.
Lake County’s Mr. Billy O’Brien witnessed Mr. Hallum removing the signs that O’Brien had just put in place.
Here is a Cleveland.com article recounting the sordid details of the event..
https://www.cleveland.com/crime/2023/09/willoughby-hills-councilman-accused-of-stealing-opponent-campaign-signs-lake-county-sheriff-investigating.html
Here is Laura Pizmoht’s Facebook page dealing with the event.
https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=laura%20pizmoht
Lobbyists for Citizens has filed a public records request with the Willoughby Hills Police Department, Since the matter has been referred to the Lake County Sheriff’s office we will redirect our request to Sheriff Frank Leonbruno.
Please remember that an individual is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
[The exception to this rule is when Democrats, and some wayward never Trumper Republicans (read Dave Joyce), accuse President Donald Trump of anything.]
Stay tuned…we will be following this issue with great interest.
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Categories: Lake County Politics, Willoughby Hills