Politics & Government

Highway Superintendent Candidate's Signs Defaced

Vandals have defaced at least two campaign signs put up by Clarkstown Highway Superintendent Candidate Dennis Malone and damaged others. 

Clarkstown police said they received reports on Sunday of obscenities written in black marker on two signs on Old Haverstraw Road in Congers and at the intersection of Route 304 and Congers Road in New City.

Malone, who is running on the Democratic line, filed the first report on August 27 about three signs broken into pieces. The signs that were damaged were located on Kings Highway in Congers, the Brewery Road and Congers Rd intersection and the New City side of the Congers Road Causeway. Malone said he thought someone used a baseball bat to break apart the signs. 

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“The campaign against me is tied to undesirable elements,” said Malone, who was campaigning at Sunday’s New City Street Fair. 

Malone said volunteers have been checking on the approximately 25 campaign signs that have been placed around Clarkstown. The Congers resident said the signs with the expletives were removed immediately because he is concerned that youngsters would see them.

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“I don’t want them to see that it’s a disgrace,” he said.

Other candidates and people involved with various political campaigns who attended the street fair said they were not aware of any additional incidents. Clarkstown police have not received any other reports of sign vandalism.

Malone is challenging his current boss Wayne Ballard, who is running on the Republican line. The race is already fraught with controversy with the release of secretly recorded videotapes by another highway department employee, Frank Sparaco.  He alleged the tapes revealed attempts by Malone and others to bribe and threaten him to assist in getting Malone elected.

In August, Malone filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Ballard and Sparaco and the leaders of the Clarkstown and Rockland County Republican Committees, Bob Axelrod and Vincent Reda. 


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