Name something perfectly legal, but feels illegal…
I’ll go first: pulling your car over, walking up to a stranger’s lawn, getting on a knee, and taking a photo of their lawn sign.
If you missed Volume 1, you can go back and check it out here.
DISTRICT 4
Wayne Jenness – Incumbent
Soothing. This is the type of blue that stops babies from crying. A paler hue than we typically see. It basically takes the Vesna colors and runs with them. If he went two-tone, it could have been a snooze fest. But the dark ink on “Jenness” and the check mark make all the difference. A clean but otherwise dull font gets a boost from the little flare on the upper-left-hand quadrant of the “A.”
Would I remove the white border? I lose sleep debating it.
Sean McDonough – Challenger
Too often, we there’s an idea to bring a “nice things” into the Mill City it gets met with cries of “Lowell is not [a more successful city with nice things]. This makes me mental. So “We can have nice things” is outstanding. However, I don’t think that the incumbent is guilty of that mindset. Nevertheless, I like what he’s leading with. A+ on the message.
Otherwise, it’s a sign and you can’t say that it’s not. If your name has a “Mc” in it, by law, you need to use green so the viewer gets what they expect. The stars and horizontal pin stripes add some interest, but not a lot. I can’t help but feel like the print is unnecessarily small.
Ditch the dead-weight stars, increase the font size, and you too can have nice things.
DISTRICT 5
Kim Scott – Incumbent
I think yellow is underutilized for council signs. However, this is not a shade of yellow we typically see. This particular color scheme could allude to a love for the Bruins, or it could be designed to resemble a school bus. Perhaps as a nod to the candidate’s history on the school committee? Accordingly, your kids may look at this sign with dread. However, it’s a well-known fact that kids are dumb and, mercifully, can’t vote.
Yellow is also a color of warning, and this sign tells me that you’d better have your signatures on-point before you try to step.
Sherry O’Connor-Barboza – Challenger
I can’t break my own rule and comment on a School Committee sign. However, the candidate will be on the ballot for the District 5 Council seat. I couldn’t find any O’Connor-Barboza council signs in District 5. I’d offer to revisit the design in a Volume 3, but nobody wants that.
Sokhary Chau – Incumbent – Unopposed
[I dropped the ball here. I never took a photograph of a 2025 Chau sign. I somehow overlooked it when I was out gathering pics. I didn’t have the energy to drive back over to the Highlands and nobody in my house wanted to order from Wah Sang on Monday. As such, I’m going to have to review what I’m pretty sure was the sign last time around. If it’s changed, please accept my apologies.]
Great sign. Portraits can be hit or miss, but this one looks good. I think it’s the lack of tie that makes for a more natural and relatable portrait. As to design choice, the stock move is to take a rectangular sign and fill it with more rectangles (or stars for some reason). But here, the red/white arc over the dark blue field is a nice change and works really well.
But now some cold water – I’m not sure why “a different kind of leader” is in quotes. Quotation marks tell the reader that somebody said something or show irony. I doubt he’s going for irony so we must assume it’s a quote.
Who has ever said that? Is the candidate saying it about himself? That’s like trying to coin your own nickname. You can’t do that and get away with it.
DISTRICT 7
Paul Ratha Yem – Incumbent
Text in three languages, a portrait, a phone number, an e-mail, a website, and a QR code?! Only a realtor could maximize real estate in this manner. The portrait is so suspiciously flattering that I found myself Googling the candidate’s age. I found it, and I now have more questions than answers. Otherwise, the focal point here is the use of red. Cutting through the sensory overload, the dynamic red on “Yem” and “7” provides the reader with a nice link between the candidate and the district. Missed opportunity to stay on brand and dedicate a portion of the sign to honoring veterans.
Sidney Liang – Challenger
I’m on record as being a fan of Councilor Jenness’ design choices. I won’t go so far as to call this one a rip-off, but it borrows from a liberal liberally borrows from his concept.
The twist is the addition of a pop of yellow – especially the top line emphasis on the primary. This is the sign of a tactician. A candidate who understands you need to survive September before you can even think about November. Play one game at a time and take nothing for granted. A savvy and original move – especially in a district with anemic turnout numbers. As to those turnout numbers, I didn’t count signs or anything, but I was surprised at how many of these I saw in District 7. Perhaps that’s a testament to their high visibility, or perhaps we could be headed for a showdown.
Jose De Jesus Cervantes – Challenger
First ballot Hall of Fame.
I now divide my life into events that happened before I saw this sign and those that have happened since.
The cowboy hat is so damn unique and memorable that you have to stand back and admire it. I’m not sure that anyone east of the Mississippi and north of the Mason-Dixon has ever used this type of prop in a campaign before. I’d certainly bet my last dollar that nobody in District 7 has. It’s pointless to talk about the rest of the design. You throw in a cowboy hat and people are going to take notice and remember you.
I have no idea whether the candidate will still be part of the discussion 20 years from now, but many of us will never forget.
“Hey, remember that guy from the Acre with the cowboy hat?!” you’ll say.
“Ohymygod, yes! I thought I imagined it!” they’ll reply.
DISTRICT 8
John Descoteaux – Incumbent
Athletic. The color choices, font, horizontal stripe and spoked-letter all remind me of features you’d see on a sports uniform.
However, the real story here is the fleur-de-lis. Lowell obviously has deep French-Canadian roots. Thus, the symbol can be taken as a nod to that heritage or as a Bat Signal above Mt. Pleasant for “Old-Lowell” to come to the polls.
But voter beware: an overtly French symbol on American propaganda warns of a Manchurian Candidate situation. Perhaps someone who will use another term to lobby for an independent Quebec? If we see a motion for a northern sister-city agreement, don’t say I didn’t try to tell you.
Marcos Candido – Challenger
The graphic ties nicely to the platform. They say you want to run on three issues and this candidate fully understood the assignment. The 45-degree slant on what I assume are buildings makes me: (1) fear for the safety of the sign people; and (2) think that those people are headed upwards. Thus, this feature instills a sense of upward mobility and progress. I like the coloring too. I see maroon and I think Lowell. The font, however, looks out of place on a council sign. I see this as more of a school committee font. I can’t explain why that is.
Francisco Maldonado – Challenger
Last on the list but first on the District 8 Ballot. We are nearing the end and it’s only fitting that we finish with yet another blue sign with white letters. I generally prefer the shades closer to navy blue than a royal blue – so points for that. Perhaps the color selection is an allusion to the uniform of a police officer? Otherwise, it’s basic, easy enough to read, and gets the job done.
Candidates can probably start ditching the “Elect” or “Vote” from their signs, right? Put up a few hundred of these, and I think we can all do the math on what you want us to do.
Final Thoughts
Best of luck to all candidates next week! Sincere thanks to those willing to put their names out there so some prick with a blog can sit in judgment.
Honestly, win or lose, you’ve all done something most could not, and our city and democracy are better because of it.
I should have some campaign finance stuff before Tuesday, maybe Friday, but more likely on Monday.