by Sylene Argent
Rob Shepley, one of four mayoral candidates running in the 2018 Essex Municipal Election, was surprised to learn that someone had uprooted some of his signs that he had set up in front of his Essex Centre business, Ice Cool Treats. And since, he claims to have noticed some of his signs have gone missing.
On Friday, September 14, at around 11:30 p.m., Shepley’s video surveillance camera captured footage of a man plucking up some election signs in front of this business. This individual left the signs laying on the grass. Shepley claimed more signs were uprooted along Talbot Street in Essex Centre in other areas also that night, and assumed it was likely the same individual.
Shepley was surprised at the peculiar behaviour, and said he was unsure who the individual in the footage was.
“I was happy he didn’t destroy one,” Shepley said. “I hope everyone will respect others’ signs in the future.”
Some may not realize, Shepley said, that individuals running for a position at the municipal decision-making table invest a lot of their own money into their campaigns, which funds signage.
Since that initial incident, Shepley claims some of his signs have gone missing and is unsure who is responsible for that. Anyone missing a Shepley signs can contact him for another.
Shepley is not the only candidate to notice some signs disappear. Deputy Mayor candidate Phil Pocock claims to have noticed a few of his signs have gone missing, in addition to mayoral candidate Katie McGuire-Blais, who claimed at least four of her signs have gone missing from different concessions.