Complaints about a political sign at a Camano Island business has a candidate for the Island County Dist. 3 commissioner seat crying foul.

Republican Kelly Emerson of Camano Island sent out a press release May 11 complaining that a request to remove her political sign from in front of a business next to a busy intersection on Camano Island was politically motivated.

She said she thinks supporters of incumbent Democratic Commissioner John Dean were behind the request.

The 4 x 8 foot sign had been erected in front of Windermere Camano Island Realty on South Elger Bay Road just south of East Monticello Drive.

Emerson said she got permission from the business owner, Marla Heagle, before placing the sign. But on Monday, the Windermere staff called and asked that the sign be removed. Emerson said she was told a number of people had complained to Heagle and Windermere’s main office in Seattle.

“They were told they needed to remain neutral,” Emerson said.

In the press release, Emerson called the complaints a “type of harassment,” and that it was an example of “Democrats bullying commissioner competition.”

Emerson said she doesn’t believe Dean was behind the complaints, but that those who complained were motivated by politics. Complaining about placement of a political sign is undemocratic, she added.

“They wanted to take out the competition so he [Dean] can secure his job,” Emerson said.

According to Heagle, she was never contacted by a representative from a Seattle Windermere office and directed to remain neutral. It’s a policy she has long adhered to with all three of her Windermere offices.

“We’ve always chosen to be neutral,” Heagle said. “If we take one side, we’d alienate 50 percent of our business.”

She decided to make an exception this year partly because she thought the sign would be just you average 24 x 24 inch yard sign, not the massive 4 x 8 foot plywood sign that was posted. Heagle said Emerson may have specified the dimensions and the confusion was on her end.

But she said that after the big sign went up, some people called to complain that it contrasted with Windermere’s long-standing policy of neutrality. Heagle said she has nothing against Emerson, but for her, the cost of the sign became too high.

“It became a larger thing than we wanted to deal with,” she said.

In a phone interview Tuesday afternoon, Dean said he was unaware of the situation and that neither he nor anyone involved with his campaign is behind the complaints. He said Windermere should reconsider its decision to ask Emerson to remove the sign.

“I would urge her to put it back up, if Windermere would allow it,” he said.

Dean speculated that the complaint came from someone who is concerned that showing support for a particular political candidate could hurt business at Windermere, or that the person was unhappy to see the business show support for Emerson. Dean said he believes that candidates should be allowed to campaign without interference.

“I agree with Kelly Emerson,” Dean said. “This should not be about stopping people from running. The more people that run, the better for democracy.”