Dirty tricks: Ron Nelson with one of his damaged signs. Picture: Tommy Ritchie 60340
Andrew Mathieson
A GEELONG by-election candidate has called in police after a “brazen act” of vandalism against six of his eight how-to-vote posters.
Ron Nelson said vandals tore away the numeral one from his signs’ how-to-vote boxes and replaced it with 10 – the last preference in the Deakin ward by-election.
Mr Nelson, who is number one on the ballot card order, believed he was a victim of political “sabotage”.
He reported the overnight incidents to police on Tuesday.
Mr Nelson said police had taken the inserts from the signs to test them for fingerprints.
The culprits clearly understood the by-election process, he said.
“Not many have intimate knowledge that there are actually 10 candidates running – you wouldn’t know that unless you were interested in the election.
“They put a fair amount of time and effort into it. They went around the ward and did this to my signs yet left other signs.”
Mr Nelson said thieves had taken two other posters last Friday.
He was concerned about one of his supporters who erected a how-to-vote sign in her yard that was later vandalised.
Mr Nelson feared that the elderly Highton woman would be unable to sleep knowing the vandals had trespassed over a fence and onto her property.
“It was a pretty brazen act,” he said.
“They’ve climbed into the home of friends of mine. It’s not nice when you’re sleeping in bed and people are in your front yard.
“Certainly that’s quite disturbing and shocking.”
Mr Nelson is one of 10 candidates for Deakin ward, which former councillor Andrew Katos vacated when he won the state seat of South Barwon for the Liberals at November’s election.
Other candidates are tradesman Craig Whimpress, criminology student Cassandra Syddall, nurse Amber Jeffreys, Deakin University students housing officer Kimberley Young, business owners Phil Baulch, Angelo Kakouros and Rick Westgarth, lawyer David O’Brien and real estate agent Matt Podvinsek.
