A 100-foot-wide “Vote for Trump” sign in upstate New York is causing controversy after the city of Amsterdam claimed it was a large, flamboyant code violation.
Anthony Constantino, CEO of Sticker Mule He told Fox News Digital that he installed the sign on top of the old Faunce glove factory as a symbol of the return of American manufacturing and what he calls “the triumph of the underprivileged against insurmountable adversity.”
Constantino said, “I think that’s what President Trump did. He won despite overwhelming adversity. He’s still doing it with bullets flying over his head.” “And we won, too. No one thought we could build a big sticker company or a big tech company in New York.”
But his company is now facing headwinds in the form of legal action by the City of Amsterdam to stop the “display” and “illumination” of a pro-Trump sign visible from the New York State Thruway.
Sticker Mule places 100-foot “Vote for Trump” sign on tallest building in Amsterdam, New York (sticker mule)
According to court documents, the sign violates city code because it “creates a dangerous distraction and impacts traffic flow,” especially at night when it is illuminated. local authority The allegation is that Sticker Mule was informed it would need a permit and several variances to install the sign in August, but the company never responded before the sign was put up on October 1.
Constantino and his legal team oppose the city’s claims. The CEO believes Amsterdam’s Democratic Party-backed independent mayor is anti-Trump and has vowed to fight a temporary injunction requiring the sign to be covered up. Amsterdam Mayor Michael Cinquanti did not respond to requests for comment.
Wearing a black T-shirt that read “Trump for Peace”, Constantino described Sticker Mule as “the Internet’s fastest growing printing company” with 1,200 employees in 39 countries. Their online business started by making stickers, but has since expanded to print T-shirts, buttons and magnets and even operates their own online store platform, Sticker Mule Stores. They are proud to say that the Sticker Mule has created nearly 1,000 manufacturing jobs in the US over the last few years.
“I like to move fast and do interesting things,” Constantino told Fox News Digital. Success in business gave him the means to reinvest in his hometown of Amsterdam, and the Fons factory was one of many buildings he purchased and restored, filling them with machines and workers.
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Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino speaking at an event in New York. (Paul Antonelli)
“Fownes was a glove maker who left my hometown in 1984 when I was 2 years old,” he said. He said Amsterdam was “devastated” by job losses when the factory with its iconic “Fauns” sign closed its doors.
“This Faunus sign has been a symbol of American manufacturing moving to China for years,” Constantino said. Now, a $150,000 “Vote for Trump” sign sits in its place, ushering in a new era US manufacturing jobs,
According to Constantino, the impossible-to-miss sign attracted “major interest”. To celebrate its founding, his political action committee, StickerPAC, plans to host a “Trump Sign Lighting Party” on October 7 at 6 p.m. A news release about the event says UFC superstars Henry Cejudo, Kelvin Gastelum and Tracy Cortez will join Constantino to speak. And support the “historic event”.
According to a representative of Constantino, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Representative Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. is also expected to speak at this event. Stefanik’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
“The excitement is sky high. We have three UFC superstars who want to come watch it. We have people who want to come from all over New York state, people who want to fly or drive from all over the country, To actually see the sign burn,” Constantino said.
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A “Vote for Trump” sign in Amsterdam, NY has been covered up following a court-issued injunction. (Paul Antonelli)
But legal action from Amsterdam could put a halt to the celebrations. On October 3, city code enforcement sent Sticker Mule a notice of violation, giving the company two days to remove the “Vote for Trump” sign. The city also requested an injunction from the New York State Supreme Court to prevent the sign from being displayed.
Sal Ferlazzo, the sticker’s general counsel, said, “The affidavit claims without evidence that the city will suffer irreparable harm because the sign is a dangerous distraction to drivers due to its novelty and fear that people will stop to take pictures of it. ” Mule. “The court, based solely on the city’s presentation and without giving me any opportunity to respond, initially granted a preliminary injunction and restraining order.”
The hearing is to be held on October 8 at 10 am. Until that time, the court ordered the Sticker Mule to refrain from “displaying and/or lighting any signs on the roof of 26 Elk Street.”
On the advice of legal counsel, Sticker Mule has temporarily covered up the pro-Trump sign to comply with a court order.
Illuminated “Vote for Trump” sign at 26 Elk St., Amsterdam, NY (@stickermule | Instagram)
“I think it’s extremely disturbing,” Constantino said of the city’s action. “I brought about a thousand jobs to my hometown that were lost when the Faunce Company and other companies left. And I’m trying to do something positive, exciting for the community.”
He suggested that Mayor Cinquanti has “TDS” – Trump Derangement Syndrome – and that he is fighting the sign for political reasons.
“They know they are in violation,” Cinquanti told The Daily Gazette. “They have been cited, and we will let it play out just like we would with any code violation.”
The mayor, who according to the newspaper previously called Trump his least favorite president in American history, insisted that the city’s objections to the sign were about safety, not politics.
“I don’t care what the sign says, but distracting drivers on the freeway is something that needs to be addressed and that’s what we’re doing,” he told the outlet.
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“Any sign that represents a threat to the safety of drivers concerns me,” he said. “Anyone who violates city code is an issue we deal with, and we are in the process of dealing with it and trying to mitigate what I consider to be a threat.”
Despite the city’s objections, Constantino said Monday’s event would continue as planned, “featuring UFC superstars, free fish fillets, cybertrucks and a beautiful Trump sign.”
“This sign is a beautiful sign, whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican. This sign is a big win for Upstate New York, a big win for Amsterdam, New York. It’s a beautiful and uplifting sign. And I think it “Is going to become a major tourist attraction, especially if Trump wins,” Constantino said.
“This is going to be a unified event. I’m inviting Democrats and Republicans alike to watch me unveil the sign. We don’t want all the division in this country anymore.”
