Accusations Of Sign Theft In Wilmington, Tewksbury State Rep Race

WILMINGTON, MA -- A candidate says her opponents -- or supporters of her opponents -- aren't playing fair with less than two weeks to go before the state primary will whittle the field of five Democratic candidates running for state representative in Wilmington and Tewksbury to one. In a Facebook post Tuesday, former Wilmington Selectmen and Democratic candidate for state representative Judy O'Connell said there have been reports of vandalized and stolen lawn signs.

"The Committee for Judy O'Connell for State Representative for the 19th Middlesex District is sharing that there have been multiple signs in both Wilmington and Tewksbury that have either been stolen or vandalized," O'Connell wrote on Facebook. "If your sign has been taken or dismantled, please let us know and we will gladly replace it. Other appropriate action with the local authorities is in process."

In the run-up to the Wilmington town election this past spring, selectmen candidates Jonathan Eaton and Rob Fasulo publicly agreed to urge their supporters not to vandalize each other's signs. Eaton won the race.

And in May, Wilmington learned that, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling, the town probably could not enforce a town bylaw that prohibited candidates and supporters from displaying lawn signs more than 45 days before an election. As a result, lawn signs have been a increasingly noticeable presence in both towns for the past three months.

Candidates In The State Rep Race

Click on a link to read Patch's candidate profile of the remaining candidate's below. If a candidate's name does not include a link, they have not responded to Patch's request for information to compile the profiles:

Republicans

• Pina Prinzivalli (R-Tewksbury)

Democrats

• Wilmington Democratic Town Committee Chair Erika Johnson (D-Wilmington)
• Tewksbury Selectman Mark Kratman (D-Tewksbury)
• Wilmington Selectman Michael McCoy (D-Wilmington)
• Former Wilmington Selectwoman & School Committee member Judy O'Connell (D-Wilmington)
• Jim Miceli's Chief of Staff Dave Robertson (D-Tewksbury)

Independent

• Shawsheen Tech School Committee Member Patricia Meuse (I-Tewksbury)

Are you running to represent Tewksbury and Wilmington in the state legislature? Contact Dave Copeland at dave.copeland@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Patch.

Never miss another local news story: Get free local news alerts right to your inbox.

File photo by Dave Copeland/Patch.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).