Though township elections were conducted almost three months ago, and the victors were sworn into office on January 1, some issues linger on. In particular: Campaign signs.
Signs are almost always a source of controversy during West Windsor elections, with charges flying about signs being pulled up by competing campaigns or being placed in prohibited positions. This year was no exception. All three teams — Shing-Fu Hsueh, Kamal, Khanna and Eric Payne; Hemant Marathe, Linda Geevers, and Peter Mendonez; and Rick Visovsky Sr., Debbie Hepler, and Martin Whitfield — reported that signs had been stolen (The News, October 25, 2013).
Then on October 19 nearly 100 signs were discovered dumped in Assunpink Creek in Upper Freehold Township. The West Windsor Police Department was notified and discovered that approximately 50 signs from the Marathe campaign and 40 signs from the Hsueh campaign had been dumped in the Assunpink; no signs from the Visovsky campaign were recovered.
At the time West Windsor Police Chief Joe Pica indicated that the signs would be dusted for prints. Now, says Pica, “we were able to recover prints from several of the signs, and those prints were identified as belonging to Rick Visovsky Jr., the 28-year-old son of Rick Visovsky Sr., who had run unsuccessfully for mayor. An arrest was made, and Visovsky Jr. was served with a complaint and released.”
“Because of the cost of the signs, which totaled $460, Visovsky Jr. is being charged with fourth-degree theft, an indictable offense [a felony], and accordingly his case has been transferred to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. It is possible that the offense will be downgraded, in which case it will be sent back to the West Windsor municipal court,” Pica said.
Rocky Procaccini, manager of the Visovsky campaign, said he welcomes a trial, at which time facts would be presented showing that the charge is a “fabrication.” The fingerprints are inconclusive, he said, because opponents’ signs were sometimes moved during the campaign when they were placed directly in front of Visovsky signs, thereby screening them from view.
Another concern that arose during the election was the location, proliferation, and even the size, of the various campaign signs. Signs were placed between the sidewalk and the roadways, which had never been allowed before, and much larger signs were utilized by several campaign teams.
The ordinance that governs the size and placement of signs is somewhat ambiguous; accordingly, council member George Borek mentioned this as an agenda item he would like to see addressed at an upcoming council meeting. Council President Bryan Maher readily agreed.
