City Loses Court Battle To MAGA Supporters, Massive ‘Vote For Trump’ Sign Will Stay
A New York judge has ruled in favor of a MAGA man who hosted one of the nation’s largest pro-Trump billboards at the expense of wrath from his nearby neighbors and local officials, the New York Post reported.
The last-minute court victory was achieved by a consortium of Trump supporters who appealed to the judge in their petition to keep a 100-foot-wide Trump billboard illuminated day and night. Opposition came from officials in Amsterdam, a city of about 18,000 residents some 35 miles northwest of Albany, who claimed in filings last week that the sign violated city codes and could be a hazard for drivers distracted by the bright lights. Montgomery County Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Slezak sided with the defendants after ordering a pause in the sign’s illumination until a hearing on Tuesday.
Anthony Constantino, a local CEO, was the biggest victor after Slezak’s decision. In addition to running the company Sticker Mule, Constantino operates a political action committee supporting former President Donald Trump’s New York campaign arm. He indicated to the Post that he plans to move forward with a rally next week where Trump supporters will officially unveil the sign to the public. “We are all set to light it up!” he texted reporters shortly before the 7 p.m. event. “My lawyers told me that I’m within my rights to go ahead as planned,” Constantino added.
Sal Ferlazzo, Constantino’s lawyer and general counsel for Sticker Mule, stated that the ruling vindicates his client’s assertion that city claims about the sign distracting drivers were baseless. “All I know is tonight the party is on and the lighting will occur and there is no court order prohibiting the lighting and display of the sign,” Ferlazzo told the Post. “So it’s obviously a nice victory for Anthony and his team.” Amsterdam lawyers now have until October 18th to file paperwork after Judge Slezak pointed out several clerical errors.
Hundreds gather in Amsterdam, New York for lighting of 100-foot-long Vote for Trump sign.
Lit up by @stickermule. pic.twitter.com/RBtikjvRPJ
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 8, 2024
The legal battle began after Michael Cinquanti, Amsterdam’s Democratic mayor, sued Constantino after a city zoning official allegedly warned Sticker Mule that it was violating a road ordinance with the massive pro-Trump billboard. The official also supposedly told Constantino that he would have to apply for a permit and several zoning variances to keep the sign up, but the company never reached out to correct the matter, the city argued in court.
On October 1st, the filing states, code enforcement officer Grant Egelston discovered “a new sign appeared to be under a tarp” at the 26 Elk St. building owned by Sticker Mule. Constantino was hit with a “Notice of Violation and Order to Remedy” with the city claiming his “sign presents a dangerous distraction and impacts traffic flow” for locals traversing highways 5 and 90. “These dangerous distractions are further exacerbated by the novelty of the sign” that could prompt people to stop and take selfies with it “all at the risk of injuring other operators and/or passengers in traveling vehicles,” the affidavit claims.
Constantino maintained it was “a ridiculous argument by a Democratic politician” and that his sign is no different from hundreds or thousands of others all over the country. “People like beautiful signs, they are all over the country and people know how to drive cars.” The business owner, whose rally included several minor pro-Trump celebrities, claimed Mayor Cinquanti and other local Democrats “want to get rid of free speech and censor America and so the sign now signifies something even bigger than what I thought … In America, I got a First Amendment right.”
“It’s my building, it’s a beautiful sign and whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, the sign is an uplifting thing for community enthusiasm,” Constantino said.
