Play fair during election season

By Staff
As sure as buttercups and redbud trees bloom in the spring months, the coming of political season brings an influx of signs all over Franklin County. There are big signs on hillsides, small signs at intersections, signs on vehicles left unoccupied for days along Jackson Avenue, and on it goes.
Candid-ates spend a lot of money on signs, and love them or hate them, they are a big part of running for office.
But just as inevitably comes the unfortunate tales of candidates (or supporters of said candidates) damaging, stealing or otherwise sabotaging the opposing candidates' signs.
It's started already — a candidate in one high-profile county race told the FCT earlier this week that someone had taken several of his signs near Red Bay and ripped them to shreds.
Children, children…let's play fair. We learned in kindergarten that we shouldn't mess with things that belong to a neighbor.
We're all adults, and way too mature to result to childish stunts like stealing another candidates' signs, right?
Well, maybe not. But if you're doing it, you should stop.
Fair play means winning on your own merit. Campaign the right way, tell us about your positives, and spare us the underhanded methods of theft or vandalism to attempt to blot out the message of your opponent.
If it's clean, the person with the best ideas and ability should win, and that's the way we want it.
Let's have a clean campaign season — and leave your opponents' signs alone.