Update: Late Monday night, a New York judge has lifted the order that stopped his massive "Vote for Trump" sign from being displayed and lit up at the Sticker Mule building!!
“We are all set to light it up!” said Anthony Constantino.
He put up the epic sign to celebrate the return of manufacturing to America under President Trump... then the Democrat mayor targeted him and LOST.
“All I know is tonight the party is on, and the lighting will occur, and there is no court order prohibiting the lighting and display of the sign, so it’s obviously a nice victory for Anthony and his team," said Constantino's lawyer, Sal Ferlazzo.
Continuing reading below for the full original story.
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AMSTERDAM, NY - A New York businessman who dares to post a pro-Trump sign on his business is facing pushback from the city, which claims it violates local codes.
Anthony Constantino owns Sticker Mule and posted the enormous, 100-foot wide “Vote for Trump” sign on top of the old Fownes glove factory to celebrate “the triumph of the underdog against insurmountable adversity,” Fox News Digital reports.
Constantino said the impetus for posting the sign was to symbolize the return of American manufacturing, which he noted thrived under Trump.
“I think that’s what President Trump did. He triumphed against massive adversity. He’s still doing that with bullets flying by his head,” Constantino said. “And we triumph, too. Nobody thought we could build a massive sticker company or a massive tech company in upstate New York.”
However, the City of Amsterdam city government has a different view. It has filed legal action against Constantino to block the “displaying” and “illumination” of the pro-Trump sign, which Fox said is visible from the New York State Thruway.
The city claims the sign violates the city code because it “presents a dangerous distraction and impacts traffic flow,” particularly at night when illuminated. The city alleges Sticker Mule was told it needed a permit and several variances to install the sign when it was proposed; however, as of October 1, when the sign was installed, the company had yet to respond.
However, Constantino and his legal teams dispute what the city is alleging. Constantino alleges that the city’s mayor, who is an independent endorsed by Democrats, is anti-Trump, and he has promised to fight a temporary injunction requiring the sign to be covered up. Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Michael Cinquanti; however, he did not respond.
Constantino told Fox News that his company is “the internet’s fastest growing printing company,” with over 1,200 employees across 39 countries. While the business began by producing stickers, it has since expanded to t-shirts, buttons, and magnets. It also has an online store platform, Sticker Mule Stores. He bragged that his company has created nearly 1,000 manufacturing jobs in the U.S. over just the past few years.
“I like to move fast and do interesting things,” Constantino told Fox. He said the success of his business allows him to reinvest in Amsterdam, his hometown. The Fownes factory was one of several buildings he bought and restored, bringing them back to life as manufacturing businesses while employing a number of American workers.
“Fownes was a glove manufacturer that left my hometown when I was two years old in 1984,” Constantino explained, noting the community was “decimated” by job loss at the factory when it shut down.
“This Fownes sign for years symbolized American manufacturing toing to China,” he said. He noted that the “Vote for Trump” sign symbolized a new era for American manufacturing jobs.
He said the sign has attracted “major interest,” and he plans to hold a “Trump Sign Lighting Party” on October 7 at 6:00 p.m. A news release announcing the event noted that UFC fighters Henry Cejudo, Kelvin Gastelum, and Tracy Cortez will speak at the “historic event.”
House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is also expected to speak at the event; however, when Fox reached out to her office for confirmation, no response was received.
“The enthusiasm just went through the roof. We’ve got three UFC superstars that wanted to come see it,” he said. “We’ve got people that want to come from all over the state of New York, people that want to fly in or drive in from all over the country, really, to see the sign get lit up,” Constantino continued.
Whether the event goes off or not is up in the air since the city’s code enforcement official sent a notice of violation to the company, giving Constantino two days to remove the sign. They also requested an injunction from the New York State Supreme Court to prevent the sign from being displayed.
“The affidavit claims, without evidence, that the city will suffer irreparable harm because the sign is a dangerous distraction for drivers due to its novelty and the fear that people will stop to take pictures of it,” said Sal Ferlazzo, general counsel for Sticker Mule. “The court, based solely on the city’s presentation, and without any opportunity for me to respond, did initially grant a preliminary injunction and restraining order.”
A hearing is scheduled for October 8. In the interim, the court has ordered the company to refrain from “displaying any sign and/or illumination of any sign on the roof of 26 Elk Street.” On the advice of legal counsel, Sticker Mule has complied and has covered up the sign.
Constantino called the city’s action “deeply disturbing,” especially given the jobs the company has brought to the city. He said he is simply “trying to do something positive, exciting for the community.”
Constantino accused Ciquanti of having “TDS”--Trump derangement syndrome and said he is fighting the sign for political reasons.
“They do know that they are in violation,” Cinquanti told The Daily Gazette. “They’ve been cited, and we’ll just let it play out as we would any code violation.”
Cinquanti disputes that and said the objections are due to safety, not politics,” despite his previously referring to Trump as his “least favorite” president in American history. The city's primary concern is the potential distraction the sign may cause to drivers on the freeway, which could lead to accidents and other safety issues.
“I don’t care what the sign says, but distracting the attention of drivers on the freeway is something that needs to be looked at, and that’s what we’re doing,” he added.
“Any sign that represents a hazard to the safety of drivers concerns me,” he added. “Anyone who violates city codes is an issue that we deal with, and we are in the process of dealing with it and trying to alleviate what I consider a hazard.”
Despite the city’s objections, Constantino said that the Monday event will continue, “featuring UFC Superstars, free fish filets, cyber trucks, and a beautiful Trump sign.”
Comments
2024-10-08T16:41-0500 | Comment by: Teri
Leave the sign, if it was a sign for Harris they would not have said a thing. They keep trying to take away our rights. This is Freedom of Speech and we still live in a free country. They haven’t taken that away from us yet.