A campaign sign endorsing former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential running mate, JD Vance, was projected onto the Arnold water tower on Tuesday night, Oct. 22.
The large blue campaign poster that said, “TRUMP VANCE 2024,” was projected for less than an hour on the Public Water Supply District 1 water tower off Michigan Avenue near I-55 and Hwy. 141.
Arnold Police received reports about the projection at about 7:05 p.m. Tuesday. An officer found a 41-year-old Clayton man who was in the Arnold Commons parking lot off Hwy. 141 projecting the image onto the water tower. After talking with the officer, the man stopped projecting the image and left, police reported.
Arnold Police are not pursuing criminal charges against the man at this time, the report said.
The water district did not project the image, and the person who did was not on the district’s property when the image was projected onto the tower, said Erin DeVore, executive director for the district.
“PWSD No. 1 is a public entity, and we do not endorse any political party or candidate for any office,” DeVore said. “We are looking into this situation and to prevent issues in the future.
“District funds were not used to project the image onto our tower, and no one had permission to do so either.”
Arnold Mayor Ron Counts said the city did not project the image onto the water tower either.
He also said when city officials learned about the situation, police officers responded to the area to have the projection turned off.
“We did make sure it was taken down,” he said.
DeVore said the district board will decide how to handle the situation going forward, and the district’s attorney may be consulted if any legal actions are pursued.
“We were just as surprised by it as anyone else was,” she said of the projection. “We are gathering all information to present to our board.”
Trump and Vance, a U.S. senator for Ohio, are the Republican candidates for the Nov. 5 presidential and vice presidential elections. Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are the Democratic candidates for president and vice president.