Gilmanton selectmen rescind ban ban on political signs after ACLU letter

By THOMAS P. CALDWELL, LACONIA DAILY SUN

GILMANTON — A controversial order banning signs supportive of the police department has been revoked.

Selectmen met with their attorney, Walter Mitchell, on Thursday night to discuss the American Civil Liberties Union’s demand that they retract the letter mailed to a handful of residents who were displaying signs stating, “We support Gilmanton police even if the selectmen don’t.”

Reconvening in public session after the legal consultation, the selectmen voted to take their lawyer’s advice and retract the order, and to notify the property owners who had received the letter.

Signed by building inspector and code enforcement officer Bill Tobin, the letter threatened to impose a fine of $275 per day for those who had not removed their signs by Feb. 22.

ACLU legal director Gilles Bissonnette sent a letter to the town, stating that such an order violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and Part 1, Article 22 of the New Hampshire Constitution. He asked for a response by Wednesday, but extended the deadline to yesterday.

The town’s attorney was to send a response to the ACLU after the selectmen’s vote.

In his motion to retract the order, Stephen McWhinnie, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, stated, “It has come to the attention of the Board that Code Enforcement sent letters to some property owners about certain signs.” The language indicates that the selectmen were unaware of the code enforcement officer’s order.

Those displaying the signs have expressed anger at the selectmen for failing to give Police Chief Matthew Currier a raise that voters had approved at town meeting two years ago, and since then have been issuing directives to the police department that the chief believes interferes with its operation. Selectmen took down a police Facebook page after the administrator of the page changed it from the Gilmanton Police Department to one for the Gilmanton Police Relief Association in order to get around the selectmen’s directive to remove mug shots from the page.

Currier has received a temporary restraining order against the selectmen to prevent them from forcing him to comply with their directives.