Hamilton votes: Stoney Creek candidate says her signs were vandalized

A Stoney Creek council candidate has asked police to investigate after she says two dozen of her election signs were either cut up or disappeared altogether this week.

Marie Robbins of Ward 9 says dozens of her signs were torn down along Upper Centennial Road on Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.

The large ones were made of Coroplast and appear to have been cut with scissors or a knife, she said. The smaller ones disappeared.

Her campaign volunteers posted the signs around 5 a.m. Monday morning, the first day that candidates could post election signs under the city’s sign bylaw.

Driving past them Tuesday evening, “all the signs were fine,” said Robbins, who teaches English as a second language. “They were looking beautiful. I admired them as I was driving home.”

Then Wednesday morning, she drove past and saw them destroyed. She reported it to the city and to police later that day.

“It actually frightened me,” she said.

Robbins won't speculate about whether another candidate is responsible. “That’s up to the police and up to the authorities,” she said.

The vandalism breaks the spirit of an open, free and democratic election, Robbins said. “It’s a shame to see such a rotten game being played.”

Tone Marrone, who has signs near Robbins's on Upper Centennial, said he's disturbed by the thought of any candidate doing that. 

"That's so wrong," he said. "I would never think to do anything like that. I know politics is a dirty game, but that's just wrong."

Marrone only has 200 signs, and said when he ran for mayor with the same number of signs, someone took his down too.

"I feel bad for Marie and I'm going to go see her personally to tell her that."

Brad Clark, former councillor for Ward 9, is running for mayor, which means the ward has no incumbent.

There are nine challengers: Lee Austin, Doug Conley, Nancy Fiorentino, Cam Galindo, Tone Marrone, Geraldine McMullen, Robbins, Christopher Rosser and Frank Rukavina.

Meanwhile, Hamilton’s mayoral candidates will debate Wednesday evening at St. Giles United Church at 85 Holton St. S. The Sherman Hub and Gibson & Landsdale Community Planning Team are hosting. The event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. CBC Hamilton will cover it.