It appears that proponents of Proposition 454 are trying to silence the opposition.This picture illustrates what Axe the Tax is up against. Notice that the Vote NO sign is bent over while the YES sign right next to it is untouched. There have been other instances in which YES signs have been placed in such a way as to partially block the NO signs.
Additionally, Axe the Tax reports that they have had at least three of their 3 x 3 signs stolen, and in a couple of instances, even the rebar that is drilled into the ground and holding the signs in place was stolen as well. One supporter also reported to the OVPD that their yard sign was stolen.
Signs cost money. The vast majority of donations sent to Axe the Tax have been used to purchase these signs…signs that are now being stolen or vandalized. The placement of these signs also takes hours of volunteer labor.
Signs influence people. Is this the reason that Axe the Tax signs are being vandalized or stolen? What is the Yes crowd so afraid of? They already have the advantage of the town subliminally advocating for the bond on the town website and during the informational Open House. (The town has subliminally advocated for the bond by repeatedly mentioning only the $17 million dollar bond figure, not the full $28 million cost, and by emphasizing the words $4.50 per month in bold print.)
The YES PAC also has an advantage in donations which has allowed them to hire a Phoenix political consulting group, Saguaro Strategies, to run their campaign and to mail full-color postcards to every Oro Valley voter. Oro Valley residents began receiving these postcards this week. The hiring of Saguaro Strategies (the same consultants hired by the mayor and all six current council members during their election campaigns) plus the design and mailing of the postcards costs thousands of dollars!
Despite having all of these advantages, somehow they still feel the need to vandalize or steal the Axe the Tax signs. Perhaps it’s because, despite all these advantages, they’ve noticed that letters to the editor and comments posted on the YES Facebook page are all running heavily against the bond.
When all your money and consultant strategies do not appear to be working, perhaps all you have left is to attempt to silence the opposition.
