A sign of confusion?

DUTCHESS COUNTY — Election signs started appearing alongside roads and on front lawns in the northeast corner of Dutchess County early this summer.

The Gibson and Ball signs are bold red and blue and show no party affiliation. Due to their placement, it appears that these two candidates are running against each other. In fact, the early front-runners in posting signs are both Republicans running for different offices and in different elections.

Chris Gibson is running against Democrat Scott Murphy for the U.S. 20th Congressional District seat. Self-proclaimed Tea Party candidate Greg Ball is in a fierce primary battle with Mary Beth Murphy for the Republican nomination for the 40th District of the New York State Senate.

There are no rules at the state level about when candidates can put up signs.

“It’s a First Amendment, free speech right,� said David Gamache, the Republican commissioner of the Dutchess County Board of Elections.

“There is nothing in the election law,� Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner Fran Knapp confirmed. “Each municipality has its own signage laws. It depends on how much money you have and your strategy.�

Knapp observed that Ball is in a rough primary and is trying to increase his name recognition.

Asked about the absence of Scott Murphy signs, Josh Schwerin, Murphy’s press secretary, said the Murphy campaign is “focusing on talking to people.

“Signs are unimportant,� he said. “People know him already.�

“Gibson is obviously making the bet that putting up signs well in advance of the election increases his name recognition,� commented Jon Arnason, head of the town of North East’s Democratic Party. “There is a fair amount of controversy on how effective it is to put up signs this far in advance.�

“I never put up my signs early. It’s a pain the neck and sometimes they get stolen,� said county election veteran and former county legislator Margaret Fettes, who always put up her own signs and took them down after Election Day. Fettes acknowledged that in the first race she lost in 20 years last fall to Michael Kelsey, he got his signs up early.

Residents should expect more signs after Labor Day and perhaps appreciate the fact that the countryside has been spared signs from the five candidates running in the Democratic primary for attorney general of New York. Expect to see signs from both Murphys to add to the confusion.

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