'DeSantis/Camillo' Lawn Signs Made By Ex-Police Captain Seen In Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — A little over a month after the town of Greenwich settled a civil case with ex-police officer Mark Kordick over fake political signs he installed in 2019 connecting then First Selectman candidate Fred Camillo with President Donald Trump, new signs from Kordick have cropped up around town this week.

The signs are red and white, and say, "Vote Republican - Vote Team DeSantis/Camillo," referring to Republican Florida governor and 2024 presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis.

Underneath, a quote from Camillo praising DeSantis says, "He's done a very good job in Florida."

The comment was part of a story by Greenwich Time in July 2023 about town Republicans readying for a visit by DeSantis, who ultimately came to Greenwich in September for a campaign fundraiser. Camillo attended the function which was held at a private home.

In that article, according to the Time, Camillo also said DeSantis has a "backbone, which I think a lot of Americans admire. And certainly right now, the country is going in a horrible direction. Things that are going on in D.C., it's become embarrassing. So I think the country is ready for change."

Towards the bottom of the lawn sign it says, "Help Fred Make Greenwich Florida of the North."

In small text at the very bottom it notes, "This message was made independent of any candidate or political party," and, "Paid for by Mark Kordick with proceeds from 'Kordick v. Town of Greenwich, et al.'"

Kordick confirmed with Patch on Tuesday that he created the signs and paid for them using funds from his recent $650,000 settlement.

Camillo is seeking a third term in office and is going up against Democratic challenger Laura Erickson this November.

"Many people have called me about the signs and all I will just say is it is a childish maneuver to again distract the voters from the issues at hand," Camillo told Patch Tuesday.

"I will continue focusing on my work as first selectman and also getting out the message of my vision for our voters," Camillo added. "I won't be distracted with this foolishness."

Known as "signgate" in Greenwich, Kordick previously admitted to paying for and installing fake political lawn signs around town just prior to the 2019 election that connected Trump with Camillo, who was running for a first term in office at the time.

Kordick, a Democrat, said he wanted to start a conversation about Republican support for Trump in town.

In April 2020, Kordick was fired from the Greenwich Police Department after a 32-year career. Kordick filed a lawsuit against Greenwich in June 2020 claiming he was retaliated against for exercising his "constitutionally protected right to engage in off-duty political speech."

The lawsuit claimed Kordick, "Like many others, perceived that highlighting Fred Camillo's prior support of Trump and steady avoidance of association with the incumbent President in his campaign were potentially powerful issues to raise against Fred Camillo in the campaign."

The settlement was agreed to right before the case was set to go to trial. Greenwich Town Attorney Barbara Schellenberg said, "The town had no viable option but to comply with the demand of its insurance carrier to end the case."

Calling DeSantis's message "one of hate and bigotry," Kordick told Patch it was "unbelievable" that Camillo commended DeSantis.

"I think that's totally contrary to the values of pretty much every Greenwich citizen I know," Kordick said.

A United States Navy veteran, DeSantis served as a prosecutor in Florida and as a U.S. Congressman from 2013 to 2018 in Florida's 6th Congressional District.

DeSantis was elected as the governor of Florida in 2018. Since then, his administration has received national attention, notably in 2022 when his controversial Parental Rights in Education bill, called the "Don't Say Gay" bill by critics, was signed into law.

"I think that people are judged and accurately judged by what they say and who they support, and for Fred Camillo to not only make a comment like that on the public record but to also praise Ron DeSantis's 'backbone' and to happily attend a fundraising dinner to raise money for the guy... Fred Camillo is unbelievable to me," Kordick said.

When asked for a response to Kordick's comments, Camillo said he has listened to the views of three presidential candidates in person and would like to listen to all of the candidates in the field if possible.

He noted he did not contribute to the DeSantis campaign, and attended the fundraiser because he was asked to go.

Greenwich Republicans hosted Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy in June for a roundtable discussion and keynote address, and Camillo also said he saw GOP candidate Nikki Haley speak at a local event earlier this year.

"I spoke with somebody who was involved with the [President Joe] Biden visit [to Greenwich] several weeks ago and I've said all along I would've gone to that one if I was invited, even though I'm not supporting him," Camillo said. "I think listening to candidates and being open-minded and listening to their messages, even the ones you don't agree with, strengthens your ultimate decision on who to support."

There has been an understanding in Greenwich that political lawn signs can only go up roughly 15 days before an election — something Kordick said he's adhering to.

He said he purchased "significantly more" signs than the 50 he made in 2019, and began installing them Monday.

The installation of the signs came on the heels of a story published Monday by The New York Times about the 2019 signgate incident.

Election Day in Greenwich is rapidly approaching on Nov. 7.

"I think that freedom of speech is one of the most defining rights of Americans and the American experience," Kordick said. "I look forward to seeing and reading everyone's political opinion in the run-up to the election no matter how it's expressed."