South Shore town still fighting resident over water tower ‘Trump 2024’ projection

The Town of Hanson borrowed two additional spotlights from neighboring communities as they attempt to dim the projection.

A South Shore town is considering additional legal steps and shining more spotlights to fight a resident who has been projecting a “Trump 2024” logo onto the town’s water tower since Friday.

The Town of Hanson learned of the projection on Friday and issued a cease-and-desist order against the resident on Saturday. Town Administrator Lisa Green said previously that the resident will be charged $100 for every day that the image is projected, which most likely won’t cover fees incurred to pay town workers and attorneys.

In an update on Tuesday, Green said the town’s Select Board met in executive session that night to determine any further legal action they could take to dim the projection.

The political projection violates Hanson’s Sign Regulations, which completely bar political messages on municipal property.

“I want to again reiterate that while we respect everyone’s right to free speech and political points of view, as a governmental entity, the Town of Hanson does not endorse candidates for any office from any political party, nor does the Town allow political signs to be displayed on municipal property,” Green said.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, municipalities are allowed to prohibit signs on public property as long as the regulations are content-neutral.

“The general principle is that if a municipality allows some signs in a public area, it must allow all signs in that area,” the ACLU writes on their website.

Green said the projection was still on the water tower on Wednesday. The town is now using three spotlights — two borrowed from nearby communities — to combat the Trump logo “from dusk to dawn.”

“The Town will continue its efforts to dim the image with spotlights and fine the resident each day that the image continues to be projected onto Town property,” Green said Wednesday. “No further updates are available at this time.”

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.