CMS board member accused of stealing signs days before election
An incumbent candidate for Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board is accused of taking signs from a 71-year-old woman at two different early voting sites Saturday.
Deborah Baynard’s signs were stolen from the South County Regional Library on Rea Road, and the Elon Recreation Center on Ardrey Kell Drive, according to two Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police reports she filed on Monday. In interviews, Baynard and a witness who’s also his political opponent said Sean Strain, running for re-election in District 6, took the signs.
Strain told The Charlotte Observer: “I am not in a position to discuss,” after he was asked for comment about the accusations.
Strain is not named in the publicly-available police reports from CMPD, which is customary in some cases. It appears no charges have been filed.
It is a class 3 misdemeanor to steal or vandalize a political sign, according to state law. The crime carries up to 20 days jail time and a fine of $200.
Baynard told the Observer her signs were handmade. The signs pictured four pages of books that the national Moms 4 Liberty chapter “wants banned.” On the back of the sign, she wrote Strain “is endorsed by Moms 4 Liberty.” Strain told the Observer the group is “among other endorsements I did not solicit nor publish.”
Baynard said at Elon Rec Center, an early voting site, Strain grabbed her sign and ran off.
Summer Nunn, one of Strain’s challengers in District 6, was campaigning at the South County Library earlier in the day when she saw Strain take another of Baynard’s signs.
“He’s crossing a line,” Nunn told the Observer.
While school board seats are non-partisan, Strain is registered as a Republican, and he is a conservative voice on the board. This year, CMS school board races are crowded, with 18 candidates vying for six district seats.
This story was originally published November 7, 2022 at 6:39 PM.
