When questioned by photographer Nancy Bloom, this calf at the Mooney Farm on South Pamet Road denied posting “Keep Truro Rural” stickers around town. (Photo Nancy Bloom)
TRURO — “Keep Truro Rural” may be hard to say, but it’s easy to read on dozens of bright red stickers seen around town — on utility poles, at beaches, on the post office building, and on a concrete barrier next to the site where an affordable housing development known as the Cloverleaf has been planned off Route 6 and Highland Road.
“The police have been put on notice,” said Chair Bob Weinstein during the select board’s Dec. 7 meeting, because, he said, the stickers are defacing public property.
According to Police Chief Jamie Calise, an investigation was opened when the stickers appeared a couple of weeks ago, but so far no one has taken responsibility for them.
Weinstein wondered whether clues might be found on DPW security camera footage, because a number of the stickers had been put up at the transfer station.
Weinstein sees the stickers as more than just messy. He believes they convey a political message.
“I think it’s part of the push in this town by people who are against affordable housing, and particularly the Cloverleaf development,” Weinstein said.
The Cloverleaf is the affordable housing project that was approved by Truro voters at town meeting in 2016 and was given a comprehensive permit by the zoning board of appeals last January. Progress on constructing it has been impeded by a lawsuit by 10 town residents. At 39 units, the Cloverleaf would be the largest affordable development in town.
Planning board member Ellery Althaus agreed with Weinstein’s view of the stickers.
“I would like to think that it’s just a benign ‘embrace the beauty of Truro’ message,” said Althaus, “but if I had to guess, it probably isn’t. It feels like it has some sort of anti-development and perhaps specifically anti-affordable housing tone to it.”
Anne Greenbaum, who chairs the planning board, said she did not know who was behind the stickers. She said she could not comment on what message they convey without getting prior approval from her board. Planning board member Jack Riemer said he had no information about the stickers, and select board member Sue Areson declined comment.
“I think it’s the cannabis growers,” said planning board vice chair Steve Sollog, but he would not share his opinion of the stickers’ meaning.
“It wasn’t the real Truro locals,” said retired fisherman and emergency medical technician Mike Coelho, who said he has lived in town for over 30 years. “When you’re working to support a family and busy with kids, you don’t have time to go around putting stickers where they don’t belong,” he said.
The slogan on the stickers “seems to speak for itself,” said Anthony Garrett, president of the Truro Part-Time Resident Taxpayers’ Association. In an email to the Independent, he noted that, in a recent survey of the town’s part-time residents, “preserving the rural character of Truro” was among the top three priorities named. His group was not involved in the sticker campaign, he said.
Another organization called “One Truro” maintains a website that states its goal is “preserving the rural character of Truro,” but its organizers are anonymous. A message sent to One Truro through the website received a response that offered no clue about the sticker mystery. The person who responded refused to be identified.
Another anonymously placed sticker defacing private property recently caused a stir in town. These targeted “private property” signs put up on beaches by the owners of waterfront houses. Playing off the 1944 Woody Guthrie song, they read: “This land is your land. This land is my land. Truro was made for you and me. #ShareTruro.”
Police Chief Calise told the Independent that “there are several categories of offenses dealing with defacing property, and each occurrence will be reviewed for its appropriate classification.” According to state law, defacement of scenery can lead to fines of $10 to $100, while “tagging” a building carries stiffer penalties: imprisonment for not more than two years or fines starting at $1,500.
To report tagging, contact Truro Police Detective Sgt. Steve Raneo at 508-487-8730.
