Democratic Party will offer $300 reward for info on damaged and stolen signs

GREEN BAY (NBC26) — The Democratic Parties in Wisconsin's eighth congressional district created a $300 reward system for anyone who has information leading to arrests and convictions of people who are damaging and stealing Democratic candidates' signs. Some 200 signs have already been reported stolen in Brown County alone in this year's election cycle, said Mary Ginnebaugh, chair of the Democratic 8th Congressional District.

“This is democracy," said Ginnebaugh. "We all have an ability to be able to state our preference in a candidate and whether it’s acceptable to other members or not, it doesn’t allow people to just remove their signs.”

This behavior is pandemic-related, she said. People aren't campaigning door-to-door, and there's little personal contact.

Both Democrats and Republicans can agree that no one has the right to steal or deface someone's property.

“It’s not right, it’s not left, it’s a Brown County value," said Andy Williams, Vice Chair of the Executive Committe for the Brown County Republicans. "And I just don't think Green Bay people fit into that mold of doing these things that are destructive and not respecting other people’s property rights.”

However, Williams is not sure if the monetary reward is the solution.

“We don’t need to be clogging the courts with those things," he said. "What we need is people to start stepping up and saying 'You've got to do the right thing.'”

But both sides say it really boils down to one thing: respect.

“I think in general people in Green Bay, we all have good hearts," said Williams. "We all respect others. And we understand that we have these differences and we don’t think that these things are right. This destruction of property is not something that is Green Bay. It’s not a value of Brown County.”

"I mean it’s a simple word but it means a lot and it means a lot to have a functioning democracy," said Ginneabaugh. "We must respect one another.”

Anyone with information can report to local law enforcement, and also contact the Democratic chairperson of your county.