Curious Marietta Signs Taken Down

MARIETTA, OH — Incendiary letter boards that caused a stir among neighbors on Colegate Drive are now empty, possibly marking the end of a long and contentious battle between the property owner and his neighbors. The signs most recently displayed "Janelle is a cancer." Before that, they read "Kelly’s Pet Cemetery coming soon."

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It wasn't immediately known when the latest signs came down, but as of Wednesday, the signs said:"Janelle is a cancer," an apparent jab at Marietta Times reporter Janelle Patterson who authored a story detailing complaints lodged against property owner Bruce Brunton by dozens of folks in the community. A few of the things alleged by members of the neighboring community include placing a homeless sex offender in a camper on the property, deception, EPA violations, failure to comply, zoning, and ordinance violations.

But as of April 1, the letter boards were empty.

Bruce Brunton couldn’t be reached for comment about why the messages were gone. His son Ben Brunton, who is a part-owner of the property, said he wouldn't be interested in making one.

However, Ben Brunton said he wants people to mind their own business, adding that they wouldn’t have resorted to the signs if not for their neighbors.

"I don’t even know what the last one said, I don’t really care," he said.

Ben Brunton said when you go to their level, they just get worse.

"They want that property to stay the way it is. I don’t understand why,” he said, noting he was including both North Hills and the rest of the city.

When asked if he thought they would end up doing something with the property, he said not as of right now; they plan to keep the property as is.

"Why would I try to better that area when I’ve been s--- on since day one," he said.

Ben Brunton added: "[Neighbors] didn’t want to see the school torn down."

He said the city would have just let it fall down, that it was crumbling when they tore it down.

“So they can just stay off of it and mind their own damn business," he said.

Ben Brunton also sought to set the record straight about rumors and misinformation spreading through the community.

"The other stuff they’re saying about Marietta Paint, Bruce is not the owner of Marietta Paint," he said.

Ben Brunton runs Marietta Paint. The gossip is upsetting his employees.

"[Bruce] has nothing to do with this business," he said.

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