"Kinston Free Press
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Democratic chair removes anti-Kerry signs
April 18, 2004
Mark Lineberger
Staff Writer
A question of free speech arose Saturday at the Lenoir County Courthouse Saturday when a Democratic party official removed signs opposing presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry.
The controversy started after Lenoir County Democratic Party Chairman Lyle Holland pulled up six signs placed outside the courthouse by Ted Sampley, a founding member of Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry, a group with the stated goal of stopping Kerry from winning the White House.
Holland said he removed Sampley's signs because he thought they violated the rules of the caucus going on at the courthouse. Holland also removed two signs in support of N.C. Agriculture Secretary Britt Cobb, a Democrat running to keep his position in November.
But Sampley said he had a "fundamental right" to put those signs near the courthouse, and Holland's actions were a violation of his Constitutional right to free speech.
"The signs weren't in support of any candidate," Sampley said. "Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry is a national organization with representatives in 30 states. Our only objective is to prevent John Kerry from becoming Commander-in-Chief."
Sampley, who returned later that day to find the signs missing, said he questioned Holland about what had happened.
Holland, who returned the anti-Kerry signs to Sampley's downtown business after the caucus ended, said he felt he was just following the rules.
"My understanding was there are not supposed to be any other signs near the voting," Holland said. "Several churches act as polling places, and they do not allow any political signs on their property. I was under the impression that there were not supposed to be any signs except for the one that said 'Vote Here.' This was not a political decision."
State election rules do prohibit political signs within 50-feet of a polling place, but the Saturday caucus was run by the Democratic Party, not the County Board of Election, said Lenoir County Board of Commissioners Chairman Oscar Herring.
Sampley said that several of the signs Holland removed were further away from the courthouse than 50 feet.
"Well, the way I see it, this was only a Democratic event," Herring said. "Therefore, the board of elections was not involved. It was county property, and it would appear to me that anyone who wanted to put up a sign had a right to."
Herring said that there was nothing the county could do about incidents like this one.
Sampley said he didn't want this event to set a precedent.
"Are we going to say that if you don't like somebody's sign, you can just go pull it out of the ground?" Sampley said. "I don't want to jeopardize any friendships, but this is a matter of fundamental rights."
Sampley said he was going to write a letter to the county board.
"It was just my interpretation," Holland said. "It wasn't a partisan thing."
Holland said he later returned all of the signs he took, including the two belonging to Se cretary Cobb's campaign.
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