[StBernard] Sign skirmish in St. Bernard Sheriff's race

[Westley Annis]

Sign skirmish in St. Bernard Sheriff's race

Reported by: Carolyn Scofield, Reporter Email: cscofield at fox8live.com
Reported by: Jon Turnipseed, Photographer
			
Print Story Published: 11/07 9:10 pm Share Updated: 11/07 11:07 pm 
CHALMETTE - The signs read "Vote against the Pohlmann/Torres" ticket and
were paid for by a supporter of Wayne Landry.

Landry is running against Jimmy Pohlmann in the campaign for Sheriff of St.
Bernard Parish.

The man who printed the signs shot cell phone video of Pohlmann supporters
pulling them up.  One of the Polhmann supporters is also a deputy with the
St. Bernard Sheriff's Office.  

Polhmann says the signs violated several campaign laws and plans to file a
complaint with the Louisiana Ethics Commission.

Louisiana law says signs cannot be placed on public property or the
right-of-way.  They also must carry a disclaimer stating who paid for them.
Candidates also aren't allowed to falsely connect their opponent with
another candidate.

"They know they have an uphill battle running against me," says Pohlmann.
"So what they gonna try to do, every trick in the book to try to deceive the
voters and say listen, this is a distraction, vote for Landry versus
Polhmann who is the most qualified candidate."

Because the signs were on public property, Secretary of State Communications
Director Sailor Jackson says the deputies had the right to pull them up.
"What they did was within their boundaries, their duties as policemen," says
Jackson.

Landry sees it differently.

"The real issue Saturday is about the aggressive assault from a ranking
police officer," says Landry.  "This story about the signs is not the story.
The story is the intimidation publicly of that ranking police officer,
that's what this is about."

With less than two weeks before voters decide who will be the next sheriff
of St. Bernard Parish, both candidates say this is a distraction they don't
need.