LIVONIA, Mich. – In the race for Livonia school board, it’s a campaign sign aimed at other candidates’ signs that is getting the most attention.
At Six Mile and Newburgh Roads, there’s a sign with the names of three incumbent school board candidates. Next to it is another sign with an arrow pointing toward the candidates’ sign reading “Voted to Mask Your Child.”
The sign refers to last year’s hot button issue of masking in schools.
Matt Wilk, the former Northville School Board President who was removed from his position after making controversial comments about the pandemic in 2020, ordered the signs.
He recently founded the Political Action Committee “Get Kids Back to School,” endorsing candidates across the state and providing them with these signs to place next to their incumbent opponents.
He said many of the signs have been disappearing, likely stolen.
Wilks said he got the idea online.
“You see yard signs all the time, and all they have is their name and what they’re running for and, on occasion, a word or two,” he said. “This one tells people (and) lets them know this is where this particular person stands on this issue,” Wilks said.
But some of the candidates in Livonia said they never voted to implement masks. Posting on their official campaign pages, explaining the district followed state and county guidelines.
However, the Livonia candidates running for re-election posted to their social media page stating they never voted to implement masks.
“The LPS Board of Education never voted to mask students,” stated the post on the ‘Jarvis, Johnson, Burton for Livonia Public Schools’ Facebook page.
Some voters like Cheryl Vescoso condemn the signs.
“It used to be when I was younger that the candidates got on tv or the radio and said ‘this is what I can do for you,’ not ‘look what she did, look what she did,’” Vescoso said. “They just smear, and that to me is not good politics.”
Another voter, Carmella Bownes, said she is not for masking in schools, but she’s not for these signs either.
“If the candidate wanted that in the past, I don’t think they should put that sign up now and bring attention to it,” she said.
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