FARMINGTON – Candidate signs abound, but in Farmington a local ordinance prohibits posting them on public property more than 21 days before an election without a permit.

Incumbent Franklin County Sheriff Dennis Pike told selectmen Tuesday that one candidate had not removed signs from public land even after the town had sent letters to candidates asking them to remove the unlawfully placed placards.

The state allows sign placements on public land six weeks prior to elections. Farmington’s ordinance is more restrictive.

What was unclear to Pike was that his Democratic opponent, Albert Smith, was not violating the law. Smith had paid $12 for a sign permit, which legally allowed him to place the signs in public space within the state mandated six weeks. The letter, he said, had not indicated that the permit existed.

Town Manager Richard Davis sent out follow-up letters Wednesday elucidating the ordinance for candidates. He also said he would recommend an amendment to the ordinance to match the state’s, which will need to be voted on at the next special town meeting.

In a related matter, state legislative candidate Lance Harvell reported that more than 50 of his red and white signs have been stolen from private property around town. He listed Perham, Middle and High streets as some of the places where his signs have disappeared.

There’s always trouble in town near the college, he said, but several signs had been taken from his neighbors’ yards on Knowlton Corner Road. Signs for his opponent, Janet Mills, had not been taken from the same stretch of road, he said, though Mills, too, has experienced sign thefts, he added.

“I wish we didn’t have to put them up,” he said. “They’re unsightly, but necessary.”

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