Democratic campaign billboard vandalized in Dixon

DIXON – A billboard advocating for a change to Illinois' tax structure and supporting Democratic state and Congressional candidates was damaged over the weekend, the second instance this month of political vandalism in Lee County.

The billboard, located near 1123 E. River Road, in Dixon, asks voters to vote "Yes" to amend the Illinois Constitution to replace a flat-rate income tax with a graduated-rate tax structure.

It also asks voters to vote for 16th District Congressional candidate Dani Brzozowski and 90th District state representative candidate Seth Wiggins.

Both Brzozowski and Wiggins are Democrats.

Residents reported the damage — a gash spanning the length of the sign — to authorities on Monday. The billboard has since been repaired.

Officials with the Dixon Police Department and the Lee County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that neither agency has determined who's responsible for the damage.

"This sometimes happens during the election season," Lee County Sheriff John Simonton said. "And I've put deputies on notice to look out for any suspicious activity since the earlier instance."

Reported by authorities to have occurred during Labor Day weekend, the first instance involved the theft of between 70 and 80 Democratic Party campaign signs across Dixon, Paw Paw, Amboy and Nachusa.

Simonton said his office still hasn't identified who's responsible for the theft of those signs, which showed support for Brzozowski, and for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris.

"The election process is a fair [process] we've all lived with," Simonton said. "So no matter who people support, they should also aim for a fair and impartial campaign process."

An offender caught stealing a campaign sign could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, which is punishable by less than one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

But since the billboard holds a higher value, Simonton said, its destroyer could be charged with a Class 4 Felony, which carries a punishment of one to three years in prison.

According to records shared with Sauk Valley Media, the billboard's owner, Turnroth Sign Company, Inc., is charging the Lee County Democratic Central Committee about $875 per month to rent the billboard.

The current advertisement was posted on the billboard last week, said Sarah Bingaman, a strategist with the Lee County Democratic Party.

Bingaman said her first thought was that a tree branch or the wind had caused the damage to the billboard, but a Turnroth representative told her it would have taken "quite a bit of effort" for the damage to happen naturally.

"With the stolen signs, this seems like a continuation of a pattern," Bingaman said. "Either way, the theft and the damage draw attention to our party and to our candidates."