Amsterdam ‘Vote for Trump’ sign to get makeover, stay lit
AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The election is over, but a controversial political sign promoting Donald Trump is still burning bright in the sky over Amsterdam, despite fines from the city. The man behind the sign wants to make it permanent and part of a much bigger project. “We're going to turn into an even more beautiful ‘America Loves Trump’ sign. I think it's clear America loves Trump, now,” said Stickermule CEO, Anthony Constantino.
It's clear Constantino is Trump's number one fan, in Amsterdam. But his controversial sign violates city code because, being political, it was only supposed to be up and lit for 30 days. So, what now? “We're hoping that we can put this sign in as a sort of a landmark for the city,” Sal Ferlazzo, attorney for Stickermule.
Ferlazzo says they need to first handle the case regarding the election sign in court, then go to the board of zoning appeals to get a variance, allowing them to build this new sign. “Basically, there is currently a proceeding before the city court relating to any potential fines for this particular sign,” said Ferlazzo.
NEWS10’s Reporter, James De La Fuente, reached out to the city for more information on the fines and fees to be assessed for the sign’s violations and a spokesperson for the city tells him, "There have not been any fines or fees issued at this time, that will not happen until a decision is made by the Judge in Amsterdam City Court."
Constantino says the sign is just the beginning. “We want to build a great park, too. This is an area that's been neglected, a little bit deteriorated. And we want to restore the area, build a beautiful park. A lot of the people that live here like to walk around,” stated Constantino.
He tells me it’s not going to be just any old park, either. “We're looking to put maybe $1,000,000 into the park. I think it's going to be a big project. I want to get people coming back here again,” explained Constantino.
The CEO will be back in court in February to answer for the sign. Until then, his sign and presumably those fines, continue to stack up.