Unicoi County Democrats Upset About Erwin Political Sign Ordinance
Dana Carufel/WJHL
Unicoi County Democrats are calling a Tri-Cities town’s political sign ordinance unconstitutional and that’s not even their biggest concern. According to Erwin’s Political Sign Ordinance, homeowners can only post one political sign per candidate in their yards. Democrats have a free speech issue with that law, but they’re screaming foul for another reason.
“I think they’re unfairly targeting the minority party,“ Unicoi County Democratic Party Chairman Mike Hampton said. “We feel they’re doing it to suppress votes.“
Just days ago, Barack Obama signs lined the front of Democratic Headquarters in Erwin. Now, most are gone. Friday, the town ordered Hampton to remove the duplicate signs. The town said he was in violation of the law.
“You can go right down the street 50 foot and there’s duplicate signs of the Republican Party,“ Hampton said.
Just a handful of houses down the road, two John McCain signs sit in front of one home. However, Erwin Mayor “Brushy” Lewis says that’s not on purpose.
“There is no treatment of the parties different whatsoever,“ Lewis said. “We would never do that.“
Lewis, a Republican, says if you drove through town, you’d see double when it comes to Democratic signs as well. He says the town only enforces this ordinance when it receives complaints. In fact, the day before the town ordered Hampton to take down his signs, it gave the same order to the Republican Party, according to Lewis.
Unicoi County Republican Party Chairman Terry Haynes is still removing some illegal signs from other locations.
“We took them down the same day that we got the call to take them down,“ Haynes said of the signs at Republican Headquarters.
He says the town sent a clear message last week, if somebody complains about your signs, you have to get rid of them.
“We have to abide by the same laws they do, whether you’re Democrat, Republican, or Independent,“ Haynes said.
Despite the complaints against the Republican Party, today, there are still two Phil Roe signs at Republican Headquarters, which is a violation of the town’s ordinance. For that reason, the Democrats aren’t convinced.
“It’s obvious that one party is called to the rug on the ordinance and the other party is not,“ Hampton said.
Although Mayor Lewis disagrees, he is recommending the town hold a work session on October 13th to reexamine the law.
“I could see where it might need to be changed,“ Lewis said. “If it does, then we can change it.“
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Reader Reactions
Well, Whitey. I disagree that Erwin is doing this out of racism. It’s out of sheer Republiscum spite that this partisan hackery is being performed.
“Brushy” Lewis? What a rube. They simply will not enforce the law equally in this case.
But no problem. Next month Republicans will be a thing of the past anyway. Let them keep their little, pathetic world. Just as long as they don’t bring to mine.
Whitey, I’m not a member of any lodge and Erwin isn’t my town. My town does have a significant population of blacks, and browns, pinks, and yellows, even one or two reds (ain’t seen no ‘greens’ that were really that shade even if they claimed that distinction). If your ability to reason was equal to your ability to assume you’d be a remarkable person. However, the obivious imbalance between reason and assumption in your remarks keeps you in the classification of ‘interesting’. Address the issue. So far your assertions have been, to corrupt a phrase, ‘ad hominem’. Base your assertions on the facts reported instead of relying on insult, and inuendo. I can see several valid arguments based on the facts reported in this case but none relating to history or to industry. At this point it appears that you only regard the article as an opportunity to vent your spleen against an entire community. That bears a remarkable resemblence to the bigotry you profess to abhorr.
Erwin got the ‘fuel plant’ just what ‘they wanted’. If ‘things’ work out like they should the ‘plant’ will take care of the ‘problem’. You bunch of bigots.
Ask ole ‘oldbluelight’ how many blacks he has in his ‘lodge’. His answer: the same amount he has in ‘his town’. I am surprised he allows any ‘democrats’ in his town. Might be a time for ‘a cross burning’ in Erwin….???
Wow! Whitey has certainly provided an insightful perspective on the issues in the article. The hanging of the elephant, Murderous Mary, occurred 92 years ago and did not involve any action by any part of Erwin’s government, nor any arm or agency of Unicoi County. Mary killed a part-time handler in Kingsport, Tennessee. The decision to put her to death by hanging came from her owner after almost thirty rounds from a firearm wielded by a Kingsport citizen failed to kill her. Erwin was involved only because a railroad crane sufficient to lift her off the ground was located there. Erwin’s only contribution to this infamous incident was spectators present at the event. It’s highly unlikely that anyone present that day still resides above ground in Erwin. Nonetheless the incident is certainly sufficient grounds to issue a blanket condemnation of the town and all its present citizens. It is an absolutely telling argument to present during a discussion of any issue involving Erwin.
It is certainly interesting to note that while the uncivilized, backward, redneck citizens of Erwin were hanging an elephant the more civilized portions of the globe were advancing mankind’s development by leaps and bounds. Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Turkey were feverishly slaughtering their youth by the millions in World War I. It’s hard to imagine a more impressive demonstration of their cultural superiority.
Erwin doesn’t have a monopoly when it comes to burning crosses and white robes. No, Whitey I don’t think Erwinites are the only prejudiced people in the area.
The ‘people’ that run Erwin give the term ‘redneck’ a bad connotation. What else would you expect from a ‘town’ that hanged an elephant? However if you are into white robes and cross burnings then that is the place you want to be. But if you are black take the long way around.
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