Massive, 100-foot ‘Vote for Trump’ sign will be lit up in upstate NY following last-minute court victory
Oct. 7, 2024, 6:32 pm1/2
It was an early win for Donald Trump.
Supporters of the former president in upstate New York won a last-minute court victory allowing them to illuminate a 100-foot wide “Vote for Trump” sign — despite their city’s effort to block the massive political endorsement.
Anthony Constantino — the CEO of manufacturing company Sticker Mule who has a political action committee supporting the Republican presidential nominee — will move forward with a rally Monday evening to officially unveil the sign that sits atop his firm’s building.
“We are all set to light it up!” Constantino told The Post by text of the ruling that came down less than two hours before the 7 p.m. event.
Lawyers for Amsterdam, a municipality of about 18,000 some 35 miles northwest of Albany, claimed in a lawsuit last week that the signage violated city code and could be a safety hazard by distracting passing drivers.
Montgomery County Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Slezak had issued a ruling that would have barred the giant letters from being lit until at least a Tuesday morning hearing.
But the judge lifted the temporary restraining order in the nick of time, after hearing oral arguments on the case, ending at around 5:30 p.m. Monday.
“My lawyers told me that I’m within my rights to go ahead as planned,” Constantino said.
Sal Ferlazzo, Constantino’s lawyer and general counsel for Sticker Mule, confirmed that the judge agreed to vacate her prior order on the grounds that the sign is sufficiently far from highways and doesn’t pose a danger.
“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 said. “So it’s obviously a nice victory for Anthony and his team.”
Lawyers for Amsterdam have until Oct. 18 to refile their papers after the judge found there were clerical mistakes in the documents.
Constantino said he thinks thousands of people may show up for the rally, which will feature guest speakers including local politicians, Republican activist Joe Pinion, MMA fighter Tracy Cortez and two former UFC champions, Kelvin Gastelum and Henry Cejudo.
Lawyers for the city, helmed by Democratic Mayor Michael Cinquanti, claimed in their suit that a code officer notified Sticker Mule in August that it would need a permit and additional zoning variances in order to install the sign. But the company allegedly never reached out again, court papers alleged.
In fact, it wasn’t until Oct. 1 that Code Enforcement Officer Grant Egelston noticed “a new sign appeared to be under a tarp” at the 26 Elk Street building owned by Sticker Mule, according to Egelston’s affidavit.
The city slapped Sticker Mule with a “Notice of Violation and Order to Remedy” on Thursday for allegedly breaking the zoning rule barring signs on rooftops and for having too large of a sign, the filing claimed.
https://nypost.com/2024/10/07/us-news/massive-vote-for-trump-sign-will-be-lit-up-in-upstate-ny-following-last-minute-court-victory/