Roy Exum
For the life of me I don’t understand the political signs that clutter up our intersections during every election. If I was king I’d ask the Hamilton County commissioners to ban them – which, incidentally, would save all nine of them a stack of money. But what I hate even worse are those who steal their opponent’s signs, or put their signs in front of their opponents, or act in similar ways that prove they lack the integrity to hold a public office.
Over in West Tennessee there were three challengers trying to unseat state Rep. Curry Todd in the District 95 race. The race was pretty contentious to begin with but on July 17 somebody took a hasty video with their cell phone that clearly shows the state representative, a Republican, carrying two handfuls of challenger Mark Lovell’s signs after he had pulled them up at a street intersection in Collierville.
Lovell’s campaign got the video, as these things curiously happen. When it became public, also a curious political phenomenon, the Collierville cops sent it to the Shelby County District Attorney for review. The DA told the Sheriff’s Department to look into the matter.
The state representative refused repeated attempts by the sheriff’s office, according to sheriff’s spokesman Earle Farrell, who said, “It’s like my Daddy always said: ‘Don’t make me come get ya’ and Curry Todd forced us to come get him. He could have come in very easily and taken care of this … it wouldn’t have come to this.”
Well, sir, about noon on Tuesday a Shelby County Sheriff’s cruiser eased up state Rep. Todd’s driveway and they had a warrant for theft under $500. They also had a slick-looking pair of handcuffs and an empty back seat so the state representative was soon locked up in the pokey.
Now let’s listen to Mark Lovell, the guy whose signs were heisted. “Somebody called me and said Curry Todd was still in jail and that nobody had posted his bond. I thought, we don’t need our state representative in jail. He can get out and the judge can decide what to do about it later.”
So Lovell takes $100 out of his pocket and sends it to the county lock-up to spring Curry Todd. A reporter asked Lovell if he thought he’d get paid back. “I don’t know … it’s like lending money to your nephews. You don’t expect to get it back. I figured it was a good deed.”
You doggone right it was. The publicity alone was worth much more than the signs cost. Of course, state Rep. Todd pleaded not guilty, saying the property owners had given him ‘exclusive rights’ to the busy intersection and offered to send some to collect the other signs. But state Rep. Todd said he told the property owner he’d just do it himself.
“Yes, I did pick up the signs the other day and I took them. I wasn’t trying to hide anything. It was daylight,” Todd told reporters.
Well, Memphis TV station WREG is reporting state Rep. Curry Todd did not have the property owner’s permission to steal the signs. The way the law reads is that government or law enforcement is required to move signs on public property prior to an election. Only the property owner or his authorized representative – this with a small “r” so it won’t be mistaken for state Representative – can remove a sign on private property.
State Rep. Curry Todd will appear before a Shelby County judge on Tuesday but a worse verdict was handed down last night. Mark Lovell got 59 percent of the vote while the incumbent got less than 20 percent. Curry Todd was whipped ragged after eight years in the legislature. It appears the voters in Memphis don’t cotton to sign pullers.
royexum@aol.com