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Date: 11/3/2022
MONSON – Whether political signs – or any signs –should be placed on town property at Memorial Hall and the Civil War Soldier’s Monument has sparked discussion and concern for many Monson residents.
Amid election season, both in and out of Monson, candidates and their supporters plaster signs wherever feasible, in hopes of obtaining attention and ultimately becoming elected.
Monson resident and U.S. Army veteran Robert Kaddy informed Reminder Publishing that on Sept. 23, he put signs up on the town common, which has a Civil War cannon. This included three Geoff Diehl/Leah Allen signs, three James McMahon signs and one sign opposing a ballot question that would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. “I did this with the direction of Ben Murphy, the town highway surveyor,” said Kaddy. “The signs were placed along the side of the road and were not near the monument.”
According to Kaddy, there was an event and estate sign already on the common, which he claimed are “not allowed,” per the discussion from the April 26 Select Board meeting. At the meeting, Town Clerk Mary Watson went before the Select Board and said this time of year her office receives many questions regarding political signs and if they are allowed on town property. She explained that something can’t be enforced without a bylaw or an ordinance in place. Dr. Richard Smith, former chairman, acknowledged that they did not have a policy in place regarding political signs, but rather a suggested guideline.
On Sept. 26, Kaddy said he noticed that all seven of his signs were no longer on the common. After speaking with several town employees who were unaware of who took the signs, Kaddy reported it to the Monson Police Department and later placed two more signs on the common.
On Sept. 28, the other two signs went missing. Kaddy said he spoke with Monson Police Sgt. Adam Szymanski about the missing signs, to which Szymanski went to the common with Kaddy to watch him place a few more.
The following day, Kaddy said, “Sgt. Szymanski returned nine signs to me and informed me that Mat Wawrzyk [cemetery foreman] picked up the signs. [Wawrzyk] has a guideline that no political signs or any other signs should be placed on the town common and that he has been enforcing this for some time.”
Regarding this issue, Kaddy shared, the Monson Republican Town Committee was going to host a political standout, followed by a meeting with Town Administrator Jennifer Wolowicz. Kaddy noted that the meeting did not take place because Wolowicz informed them that this issue would be on the Oct. 11 Select Board agenda.
Select Board meeting
Pat Oney, Select Board chair, started the Oct. 11 discussion by saying they would only be talking about political signs. She explained that this is because of the different issues involved with political signs opposed to other signs, due to the implications of the First Amendment rights. She said they will be following up with establishing a policy or bylaw about this.
Based on the April 26 Select Board meeting, Oney said her understanding is that the guideline in place was put forth by the former town administrator, without any Select Board involvement.
“As far as we can find, there’s never really been a policy about signs. There is a bylaw in the zoning bylaws about signs, but it doesn’t deal with political signs and it’s probably something we need to look at,” said Oney.
Before hearing public feedback, Mary Hull, vice-chair, said, “I don’t believe it [the signs] disrespects them [the veterans]. I believe that we lost men in these wars because of who we elected. Who we have in office depends on our kids – whether we live or die – so I’m more inclined to have political signs there than I am tag sale signs.”
Hull continued, “I’d like to see people more involved in that because if we don’t start electing the right people, we will continue to have wars and I don’t want [to have] a memorial for World War III.”
Phil Rumian, Monson resident, said, “I believe the memorial could be considered something comparable to a cemetery and the same rules should apply in terms of respecting the people that have given their ultimate sacrifice to have their names on that memorial.” He added, “Signs – at least in that particular spot – are inappropriate.”
Bob Lamb, Monson resident, noted that he was representing the Monson Republican Town Committee. He shared, “I am sensitive to people’s thoughts and feelings about this being sacred ground and stuff. I don’t however relate it the same as it would be a cemetery, it’s not concentrated ground.”
He went on to say, “We do have to respect the ground, we do have to respect the people that it was there to memorialize just as it is at Memorial Hall. Memorial Hall – in my opinion – is the most sacred structure we have in town because on those walls are engraved the names of the people, the men that sacrificed for that battle.”
Lamb said it is a First Amendment right to put the signs there. “These people who fought those battles did that to keep those rights in our benefit.”
He noted that he was raised in a Marine Corps family and is “sensitive” to the veterans of this country. He also rides with the Patriot Guard Riders, who keep protestors away from families during a military funeral.
“I don’t see that this is any kind of disrespect to our veterans. If anything, I think it’s admiring them even more and thanking them because they give us a right to elect our people and they fought for that,” said Lamb.
Ray Beaudoin, a Monson resident and combat veteran, said, “I think those signs should be there. The reason why I believe they should be there is because that’s what we fought for. We fought for freedom and the freedom to be able to do those signs.”
Beaudoin shared that he doesn’t think the signs should be there forever and would like to be considerate of people who don’t want the signs there. “I think 30 days before an election would be a fine time to have them and I think if those signs are not taken down after the election, they should be fined so that there’s not just signs hanging around on Main Street and on these memorials.”
Wawrzyk shared that the Cemetery Department was in the same position as the Select Board – they don’t have any policy or description for the maintenance of the monument. He explained that they are responsible for maintaining the Civil War Monument, some of the tree belts and other water stations in town. In seven years on the job, Wawrzyk said his job has been to go to the monument, maintain the property and remove all signs. “It was never enforcement, it was just going there for maintenance,” he added. This includes removing tag sale signs, advertisements for private businesses and more.
“We treated the monument as town property,” said Wawrzyk. “I wouldn’t imagine it would be okay for someone to come and put an advertisement or a political sign in front of [the] Town Hall. That’s kind of always been our opinion to be indifferent to political arguments going on if that is town property.”
After speaking with the Cemetery Commissioners on Oct. 6, Wawrzyk said they decided that they would like some guidance from the Select Board regarding this issue.
“As far as my opinion goes, we don’t have a problem with [having] signs on the common. We’ve kind of always used our best judgment to leave signs up for any kind of public benefit,” such as a town or public charity event. Most often, he said these signs are taken down by the people who have put them up.
“This current issue that we’ve had has been the first time that I’ve run into something like this since I’ve been there and I think a large part of it is due to the excessiveness of it,” shared Wawrzyk. “I’ve seen political signs up before and it was generally just one or two signs for a local or state candidate and that’s something I don’t think there has been an issue with.”
He concluded, “I would prefer not to turn that monument into some type of battleground.”
Gretchen Neggers, Monson resident, said, “I do have great concerns about the placement of all signs, not just political signs, on these two particular parcels.” She noted that Monson has nearly 45 square miles of territory with plenty of spaces to put signs and exercise freedom.
However, with the Civil War Monument and Memorial Hall, Neggers views them as such: war monuments. “It’s written right on the monument up there that those are dedicated to the patriotism and valor and the sailors who fought in the Civil War,” she said.
Neggers added that they owe the people who served, no matter when it was, a “debt of gratitude for fighting for the natural cause.”
John Morrell, Select Board member, said he has been “bouncing around with this [issue].” He shared that the soldiers fought for those rights and the First Amendment was a constitutional right, including freedom of speech and press, which are what the signs are all about.
On the other hand, he said that aside from construction or detour signs, no other kind of signs should be placed in either of the two locations. “The sacrifice that these people made too, it’s for your rights but it shouldn’t be governed by your emotions. It’s supposed to be a right, not your feelings,” said Morrell. “I wish there was some kind of common ground.”
Before deciding on the matter, Hull said they should take the time to talk to some people in town, including veterans, to see how they feel.
Oney agreed. “I think what needs to happen is we need to put a policy in place and at some [point] down the road, if we want to talk about making it into a bylaw, we can do that.” To do that, Oney said it is a “protracted process.” To do something more quickly, she noted that the Select Board can put a policy in place. She also suggested hosting another meeting to discuss the policy and make sure it’s done correctly.
Oney said they will be discussing this matter sooner rather than later and will be adding it to an upcoming agenda.
Additional comments
Lindsey Esser, former chair of the Monson Republican Town Committee, expressed her opinion on the matter. “Yard signs, in an election of this stature on war monuments, are going to drive support away from candidates without the candidate even knowing why,” she said.
“In regards to the signs, I am a constitutional conservative. Myself and my family value our constitutional rights. However, I personally would never have allowed candidates or their field workers to place their signs on war monuments,” shared Esser. “It does not fit with our small-town vibe and to myself and the residents that I have spoken to, it is disrespectful to those veterans that the memorials serve.”
Karen Nothe-Valley, chair of the Monson Democratic Town Committee, informed Reminder Publishing that a number of individuals approached her about the political signs. Before the Oct. 11 Select Board meeting, she said a couple of committee members contacted the town to find out about the policy, to which they learned there was nothing in place, The committee submitted a letter to the Select Board on Sept. 30, expressing their concerns.
After the Select Board deliberated and took no action during their meeting, Nothe-Valley said, “[It] basically set up a precedent that anyone can place any signs, anywhere. It’s a free for all situation.”
She shared that the views of the Democratic town committee include exercising freedom, but sometimes freedom means being respectful. As the matter unfolds, she said, “[We] stay true to our values and stay true to our community. We are not going to place signs at either location.”