Judge approves removing only some campaign signs targeting Central Bucks Democrats. Here’s what it means.
The signs — some of which read “Hey Democrats! Groom Dogs Not Kids” — went up two weeks ago, some without any funding disclosures.
A Bucks County judge has ruled that Democrats can take down campaign signs posted on public property in the Central Bucks School District that target their candidates but don’t say who paid for them.
The signs — some of which read “Hey Democrats! Groom Dogs Not Kids” — went up two weeks ago, some without any funding disclosures. Others said they were “paid for by LetsGoBrandon.com” — a cryptocurrency website that said it had nothing to do with the signs.
The Bucks County Democratic Committee argued they violated Pennsylvania law. Here’s what to know about the signs and the brutal school board campaign:
What signs are at issue?
The Democratic committee filed an emergency petition with the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas Oct. 25, seeking approval to take down a range of signs that target Democrats running for the Central Bucks school board.
Among the signs were large banners that highlighted Republican attacks on specific Democratic candidates — accusing candidate Rick Haring, for instance, of bringing a “fraudulent lawsuit” that will result in a “50% tax increase.” It isn’t Haring but his wife, a teacher in Central Bucks, who has sued over pay equity. While a district lawyer said a settlement demand from 360 teachers would require that level of increase, Democrats note that Pennsylvania’s Act 1 index limits annual property tax increases; the 2024-25 index is 5.3%.
Other signs said, “Marxism has no home in CBSD” and said Democrats would “put porn back in school libraries.”
Some of the signs had no disclosures on them — though Pennsylvania law requires that any advertisement that “expressly advocates the election or defeat of a candidate” must contain a disclaimer that clearly states who paid for it.
Others said they were paid for by “LetsGoBrandon.com,” a crypto site named after the anti-Joe Biden slogan. Miami hedge fund manager James Koutoulas, who owns the site, told the Inquirer that he had nothing to do with the signs.
What did the ruling say?
Judge Jeffrey Trauger said the validity of Pennsylvania’s requirements that advertisements include disclaimers were “previously called into question” in a 1980 state Supreme Court ruling, which found certain parts of the law unconstitutional.
As a result of questions about “the constitutionality of removing the signs on private property,” Bucks County Democrats said they withdrew that portion of their challenge. On Thursday, Traeger ruled in favor of Democrats regarding signs placed on public property, granting his approval to remove those that don’t contain “paid for by” language between now and Election Day, which is Tuesday.
“This is a clear victory for the rule of law,” state Sen. Steve Santarsiero, chair of the Democratic committee, said in a statement.
Zack Kirk, the committee’s executive director, said people were taking down signs without disclosures Thursday, though he wasn’t sure how many were removed and how many would still remain on private property.
What is the backdrop for this dispute?
The Central Bucks school board race has attracted intense interest — and money, with more than $600,000 raised by Republicans and Democrats ahead of the Nov. 7 elections. Paul Martino, a GOP donor, has given $279,000, including underwriting a PAC that has attacked Democrats by sending thousands of households mailers with explicit images and accusing them of peddling “smut” to children.
The district has been at the center of culture war battles since the pandemic, when parents fought over masking and COVID safety measures. Since Republicans cemented their majority on the board in 2021, they have passed policies banning Pride flags and other classroom “advocacy” and prohibiting “sexualized content” in library books.
The district has been under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education following a complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, alleging Central Bucks has created a hostile environment for LGBTQ students. A review commissioned by the district at an estimated cost of more than $1 million found no evidence of discrimination.