To the Editor:
It’s election season and love them or hate them, there are about to be signs supporting candidates all over town. The Old Lyme Democratic Town Committee will unwaveringly support the right of all community members to exercise their First Amendment Right to Freedom of Speech and will stand up to attempts by any private citizen or governing body to trample that freedom.
On Monday, September 9th, an individual took it upon himself to steal a ‘Harris for President’ sign from private property, a video of the individual taking the sign has been submitted to local authorities. On a basic level, signs cost money and belong to the person who has chosen to display them in support of their candidate(s). But more importantly, signs represent our freedom to speak freely and to exercise that freedom in support of our Democracy.
Earlier on September 9th, The [Old Lyme] Historic District Commission (HDC) voted on “Signage Guidelines” which seek to limit the presence of “wire stick signs”, among other types of temporary signage, within the historic district. The discussions by the HDC in the months leading up to this decision focused specifically on limiting the presence of political signage within the HD [Historic District] based on a self-serving “tradition” that only those who don’t want signs ever ascribed to in the first place. Even the Old Lyme Historical Society pointed out that Lyme Street was displaying political signs as early as 1900. Political free speech is essential for our democracy and is one of the most protected forms of speech, so in addition to limiting the constitutional freedoms of residents of the historic district, this opens the town up to litigation when these new guidelines are challenged.
We urge the residents of Old Lyme to remember that our right to express political support—whether through conversation, signs, or other means—is fundamental to the health of our democracy. Silencing any voice, whether through theft, restrictive guidelines, or other forms of suppression, undermines the very freedoms our country was built upon. The Old Lyme Democratic Town Committee stands firm in its commitment to defend these rights and to foster an inclusive community where every individual’s voice can be heard and respected.
Sincerely,
Kim Thompson,
Old Lyme.
Editor’s Note: The author is the Old Lyme Democratic Town Committee Chairwoman.