VDOT Steals Signs!!

To: Governor Jim Gilmore and Delegate Richard Black
From: Eugene Delgaudio

Re: Home Invasion by VDOT in Sterling?

Dear Governor Gilmore and Delegate Black,

As you know from my regular reports, I maintain Republican Candidate signs on 25 private homes on Sterling Boulevard in Sterling Park. This is a record show of civic interest on a major road and a source of great pride.

Today I noticed several Republican yard signs missing and was doing my regular check up on lost or stolen signs on private homes.

At eleven a.m. at the corner of Church Road and Sterling Park Boulevard, I observed and stopped to talk to a two member crew (one middle aged man and one older grey haired man) of the Virginia Department of Highway truck recovering real estate signs and political signs. I asked the older man to return political signs with your name and my name (as a candidate for Supervisor) to me as your representative.

He gave me several stakes with the signs still attached to them. They are all from private homes. I am keeping them as proof . I can match them to private homes they came from. I could see there was much more.

I pointed to a sign just two yards away and said: most of these Black signs along Sterling Boulevard are on private homes. The older man responded "We would not trespass, we are cleaning the intersections (of posters)." We were cordial to each other and departed. I gave him the benefit of doubt.

I was more surprised than confrontational. I drove up the service road and did a better accounting. There were ten additional houses on corners that "lost" their signs to this VDOT truck. I now know this man was not completely truthful and did remove signs posted on corner houses on the Sterling Boulevard service road in order to "clean intersections".

I am sending a letter of complaint to the regional manager of VDOT and ask for your support by way of a letter. I have obtained permission from voters and home owners on the service road all along the length of Sterling Road. This VDOT action violates the civil and first amendement rights of voters and is a trespass on their property rights. VDOT can not remove signs from busy corners on Service roads. I will not stand for it. I hope you agree.

Please consider this letter as a citizen request for your action to address this injustice. I feel a letter of warning from this crew's supervisor, to the crew, is called for on an urgent basis and is absolutely necessary.

This is a call to action to protect the property and civil rights of voters and homeowners in Sterling. I condemn this singling out of Sterling Republicans by a VDOT Road Crew clearly out of control on a public street.

Sincerely,

EUGENE DELGAUDIO
CANDIDATE FOR SUPERVISOR, STERLING DISTRICT

CC: Members of the Delgaudio Advisory Council of Sterling Distict