STONEBORO — There was no political motive behind the Great Stoneboro Fair Board’s decision to remove a billboard touting Democratic congressional candidate Missa Eaton, fair organizers say.

“It just became a very nasty mess, with the poor Democrats being involved,” fair board President Ron Carkin said Tuesday.

The fair board had planned to take down the billboard before the start of this year’s festivities, he said. “It was in deplorable condition.”

When the fair opened last Wednesday, the billboard that last year urged voters to choose Republican Peter Acker as county judge, was still standing.

On Thursday the billboard carrying the Eaton advertisement went up. On Friday the sign was covered by burlap and then removed entirely.

“The political message had nothing to do with it whatsoever,” Carkin said.

“We endorse neither party,” he said. “The fair is not Republican or Democrat.”

In addition to the sign’s condition, Carkin said the company that owns the billboard was years behind in its rent and that factored into the decision to take down the billboard.

Those explanations don’t satisfy Fred Hlusko, president of the Northeast Democrats of Mercer County, the group that paid to put up the sign.

“If it was in such poor condition why would they cover it with burlap?” Hlusko said. “Why would they cover it up if it wasn’t the message that bothered them? Obviously it was.

“And if the fair board had a problem with the company that owns the billboard being in arrears, why wasn’t it contacted sooner?” he said. “I frankly find their explanation to be less than believable.”

By taking down the billboard, the fair board “stifled” the free speech rights of the Democrats, Hlusko said.

The group met Tuesday night and authorized Hlusko to make a formal complaint to both state and Stoneboro police asking them to file theft and destruction-of-property charges.

The group is also prepared to take up an offer by an attorney to represent them in their cause and may pursue a civil lawsuit against the parties involved, he said.

On Tuesday, the billboard was lying face-down on the edge of a field used for parking, across U.S. Route 62 from the main entrance to the fair. The message supporting Eaton had been removed.

The roadside near the downed billboard had a few small campaign signs on it, all touting GOP candidates.

Dave Urey owns General Outdoor Advertising Inc., a small, Masury-based company that owns the billboard and contracted with the Democrat group to put up the sign.

Urey said he paid back rent to the fair board Tuesday and is trying to resolve the problem to the satisfaction of all involved.

“I’m 100 percent square with the board,” he said Tuesday evening.

“I didn’t realize it was behind,” he said. “The bottom line is this: I resolved my issues with the board and I’m resolving everything with the Democrats.

“We’re going to work it out. Whatever they want to do. Whatever they want, I’m willing to do for them,” he said.

Hlusko said Urey had yet to contact the group Tuesday night.

“That doesn’t bring back the fact that we’ve been harmed,” Hlusko said.

The group missed the chance to get its message out to the thousands of people who attend the fair.

They wanted to do something to support Eaton, who “faces an uphill battle against the third- or fourth-richest guy in Congress,” Hlusko said.

“He can write a check for however much he wants to spend,” he said.  “We’re 25 people. We spend $500 on an ad. Do you think we have enough for legal representation? Can we afford to spend money (fighting) this? The answer is no.”

“I have not encountered anything (like this) in my experience,” county Elections Director Jeff Greenburg said. “I’m unaware of a provision in election law that might address this scenerio.”

“The county board of elections and the DA (county district attorney) will accept any complaint. If we get a complaint it will be investigated,” he said. “The question is, do we have any jurisdiction in this issue?”

Sign issues generally involve how close they are to a polling place or whether their sponsor is properly identified.

Complaints about stolen or vandalized signs are generally referred to local police, who enforce existing criminal laws governing theft or vandalism in such cases, Greenburg said.

There also could be a conflict of interest question when it comes to bringing the DA into the case. Mercer County District Attorney Bob Kochems’ wife Debbie Little Kochems is a member of the Northeast Democrats.