Riverdale mayoral candidates claim uprooted, stolen campaign signs have cost them thousands
Are mayoral candidate signs being targeted?
Some Riverdale mayoral candidates say their campaign signs are being removed and even stolen over the last few months. Those candidates tell FOX 5 they feel targeted by city officials who authorized the removal of those signs. But the city’s police chief says that’s just not true.
RIVERDALE, Ga. - Some Riverdale mayoral candidates have been dealing with issues of campaign signs being removed and even stolen over the last few months.
For candidates An’Cel Davis and Dr. Geffry Tate, it’s been an increasingly difficult and costly campaign season. They're both running against incumbent mayor Evelyn Wynn-Dixon next month.
"I’m probably almost in the thousands now of signs that have been taken up," Tate told FOX 5.
A police report Tate filed in August stated some of his signs were stolen. He and Davis said members of the city’s code enforcement division were responsible for damaging the others.
"The city’s been pulling up our signs, and these things are four-times more expensive than they were four years ago," Davis explained.
He and Tate told FOX 5 they feel they’re being targeted by city officials who authorized the removal of the signs, but the city’s police chief said that isn’t the case.
Riverdale Police Chief Todd Spivey said the signs were removed because of where they were placed—citing a city ordinance prohibiting signs posted in the right of way.
He explained that sign removal isn’t limited to campaign posters in the right of way, on traffic direction posts and telephone poles. They also include advertisements for businesses.
"They’re saying they’re in the right of way, but they’re not, and I just think it’s political," Davis said.
"This is something that’s been persisting in this city," Tate agreed. Normally, when there’s candidates running against the incumbents, their signs go missing."
Former City Council member Davis said the way he sees it, every vote really does count in the City of Riverdale.
"The last election, there were only about 1,000 people who came out to vote. And if you think about it, the city is only about 15,000 or 16,000 residents," he recalled. "You’re trying to take people’s right to exercise their right."
Both candidates said they’re pushing forward in spite of the added challenge in trying to get the word out to voters before Election Day.
"We’re going to make sure that the community knows that they have choices," Tate said.
Early voting starts on Oct. 16 and Election Day is Nov. 7.