Town will fine a resident for projecting Trump logo on water tower

By Vivienne Felber

Hanson, a South Shore town, will issue a cease and desist to a resident for projecting a Trump logo onto the town water tower. However, Hanson Town Administrator Lisa Green says that this projection will cost a “significant amount of taxpayer dollars.” 

On Friday, the town learned of the water tower projection. The town will fine the resident $100 for every day the image is projected onto the water tower. But for now, Hanson is aiming a spotlight at the projection on the water tower to dim down the message as much as possible. 

However, Lisa Green said the fine will not be enough to cover the cost of fees for this incident. The cost to fix this situation needs to cover the cost of the Highway Department workers to turn on and off the spotlight, for attorneys, and to potentially acquire stronger lighting equipment, she said.

While Green never directly addressed the content of the projection, she said the projection violates the Town’s Sign Regulations, which bar political messages on municipal property. Green said in a statement, “This misleads the public into believing that this activity is sanctioned by or condoned by the Town.” Green later explains, “As a governmental entity, the Town of Hanson does not endorse candidates for any office from any political party, nor does the Town allow political signs to be displayed on municipal property.”