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By Sam Wheeler for the Mail Tribune October 15. 2014 11:13AM Sign of frustration This eight-sign sign is one of two flanking Jacksonville that have been plagued with vandalism.Photo courtesy of Nick Card Although he doubts it’s politically motivated, Republican state representative candidate Nick Card says he’s sick and tired of his pair of large campaign signs flanking Jacksonville being vandalized. One sits just inside Jacksonville city limits at the intersection of Highway 238 and Pair-A-Dice Ranch Road. The other is one of a slew of other campaign signs staked on county property just east of town along South Stage Road. Before the vandalism started, Card, who is running to unseat District 5 incumbent Peter Buckley, D-Ashland, says his campaign registered a few complaints from citizens about the size of his signs, which appear larger than what city law allows. The Jacksonville Police Department has taken two complaints about the signs, says Chief David Towe, and the complainants were made aware that Card’s South Stage Road sign is outside of the city limits and legal by county sign standards, and his Pair-A-Dice Ranch Road sign is actually eight legal-sized signs adjoined. Jacksonville city law allows for signs no larger than four square feet, so Card cut up his 8-by-4-foot sign at Pair-A-Dice Ranch Road into eight separate pieces and plastered them together on a fence. “In essence, (Card) just found a way make the law fit his needs,” Towe says. Jacksonville’s city attorney says the Pair-A-Dice Ranch Road eight-sign sign is legal, says Towe, although he expects the ordinance to be reviewed before the next election. The vandalism started a few weeks ago, when zip ties holding up the eight-sign sign were mysteriously cut, Card says. They were quickly replaced with thin metal wire, which was also cut, he says. On Saturday, Card’s campaign found a dirty brown towel covering the eight-sign sign, then a green piece of corrugated plastic roofing covering it on Sunday, he says. On Monday morning, the sign was defaced with red paint, as was his sign along South Stage Road — the first time it had been hit by vandalism, Card says. None of the other South Stage Road campaign signs surrounding Card’s were vandalized, he says, which leads him to believe the vandalism isn’t politically motivated. “I don’t know if they have something against me or my family, or maybe they just don’t like driving by them every day ... but somebody is putting a lot of time into vandalizing my sign,” Card says. “The last thing I want to do is put up another sign and have it destroyed again. ... It’s not like I really want to get somebody in trouble over this, I would like my sign replaced.” Card says he hasn’t decided whether he’ll replace either sign. Several of his other large campaign signs across Jackson County and hundreds of lawn signs haven’t been vandalized, he says, just the pair flanking Jacksonville. “I have a feeling that whoever has been complaining about my sign has been vandalizing my sign,” Card says. “What I really don’t want is this to spread and become a larger problem.” Card notified Jacksonville police of the vandalism, and Towe says his officers are keeping an eye out. “Vandalism is vandalism, and we’ve got an opinion from our attorney ... as the rules are written today, that configuration doesn’t violate the rules,” Towe says. Reach freelance reporter Sam Wheeler at [email protected]. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141015/NEWS/141019778 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->