By Juan Montoya
In a hurry to match his opponent sign for sign, Brownsville Navigation District board candidate Luis Melendez and his workers have been placing signs all over town, especially where one of his opponents already has one.
Democratic politics are, if anything, competitive. But, unfortunately, there are some pitfalls that Melendez and his followers have stumbled into.
Apparently, they are not sticklers for asking permission from landowners on where to post the signs for their candidate.
As the example in the picture demonstrates, not everyone is happy about waking up in the morning and finding a political sign tacked onto their fence without their permission.
That's not all, we saw some Melendez signs on empty lots and called the realty companies to see if they had given the candidate (or his followers) permission to post their political appeal for the public vote.
Realty companies want to sell properties. They don't allow political signs on them because they don't want the candidate's opponents to be turned off and not buy.
In at least more than a half-dozen cases, they had not. And in at least four or five others (we have pictures) the signs were brazenly posted on the public right-of-way. Here are a few examples:
1. The sign on the empty lot for sale besides Charlie Clark Motors. A clerk at Faith Realty said no one gave Melendez or his people permission to put it up.
2. The sing at the former Mike's Corner Car Sales off the Frontage Road and Morrison. Bob Torres Realty said they didn't give anyone permission to put up the sign.
3. The sign brazenly posted off Alton Gloor at the entrance to Solomon Ortiz School and the irrigation canal. Psst. Public entities don't allow you to use their right-of-way for political signs.
4. Et., etc., etc.,
Melendez's people even got one of the BND stevedores upset when they put up one of his signs on front of Parker Brokers at the port. This is not only bad taste, it's also political suicide to tick off an influential member of the port club.
We'll see if the Melendez people get the message and take corrective action. If you were one of his opponents, would you?
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