Candidates say getting an A-frame sign is all politics

Erin Neff

Monday, July 8, 2002 | 11:10 a.m.

Glancing at the A-frame election billboards dominating empty lots around town, you'd never know some people can't get their hands on them.

But candidates who didn't lock up lease agreements for the free-standing signs early, or who don't go to the politically connected company that controls most of them, are left hammering plywood this election year.

"I don't know that it's a shortage, but it's definitely a result of the anointment of candidates," said Doug DeMasi, taking a break from banging together an A-frame at his downtown auto shop. "Candidates with money get out early and tie up all the A-frames."

Some candidates say that access to the signs comes by hiring the right political consultants and that leases of the A-frames can bring the best political endorsements.

Paladin Advertising, whose sister company controls the lion's share of the business, denies such influence, but candidates and competitors left out in the cold point to business and political connections that they say imply otherwise.

A-frames are leased to candidates at costs ranging from $175 to $250 per month, including set-up and take-down service. The 6-by-12-foot or 8-by-16-foot structures are commonly used to display pre-printed, multi-color vinyl signs, but are sometimes hand painted.

DeMasi said he was building A-frames for sheriff candidate Randy Oaks, because front-runner Bill Young had tied up dozens of the A-frames offered by Paladin Outdoor Mobile Signs. Another supply of available A-frames is controlled by Paladin competitor Billy McCurdy, who has chosen to stay out of the sheriff's race, because a relative is a current Metro Police captain.

McCurdy, a political consultant who specializes in minority voter strategies in West Las Vegas, bought about 100 of the A-frames several years ago to offer his clients another service.

But McCurdy said Paladin's connections to the Nevada Resort Association and the Las Vegas Police Protective Association make it impossible for him to lease his warehoused stash of A-frames.

"They turn around and put the fear of God in these politicians, saying that you will not get the endorsement of the police union if you don't go with them," McCurdy said. "They are killing my business."

Paladin Advertising owner Mike Sullivan flatly denies that endorsements are tied to using Paladin Outdoor Mobile Signs, for which former PPA Treasurer Al Norland works.

"If you look at our candidates today, most of them are endorsed by the cops, but that's because most are incumbents and most are our consulting clients and we push to get that endorsement," Sullivan said.

Sullivan said when Paladin incorporated its sign business, Norland came on board and a number of political consultants, including Billy Vassiliadis, Steve Forsythe and Kent Oram, agreed to get their signs from Paladin.

Vassiliadis, of R&R Advertising, represents the casino industry and major campaigns. Oram, who has a 6 percent ownership stake in Paladin, is a veteran of sheriff's races and currently represents Young. Forsythe represents a host of candidates -- of both parties -- in a variety of local and statewide races.

"We knew if we had all the consultants, that was sort of the anointment," Sullivan said. "Al put the signs up for us, but it wasn't because we billed it at as 'Come with us and get the cop endorsement.' "

Norland, a retired Metro detective, left the PPA in December 2000. Sullivan said Norland has nothing to do with current PPA endorsements.

McCurdy said even if the endorsement isn't implicit with leasing signs from Paladin, candidates see the connections and make their choices.

Political consultants also go with Paladin, in part because the company has 250 of the A-frames -- the largest stash in the county.

"You just call up the sign company and you don't have to deal with it," Oram said.

Oram said he thinks the A-frame signs are "very effective" in certain races, including law enforcement offices, because they are big enough to see, relatively inexpensive to post and mobile enough to cart around to specific events.

Forsythe said the A-frames offer a distinct advantage over 3-by-6 and 4-by-8 roadside signs.

"The one thing that will stick out as you drive down the road is the A-frame," Forsythe said. "It rises above the clutter."

Forsythe said the "mini billboards" work best in the early stages of campaigns, when name identification is critical.

As for using Paladin, Forsythe said that company has emerged as the most professional because it handles so many leases of A-frames each year.

"As a campaign manager, I don't have time to scout every location for an A-frame," Forsythe said. "I just give them the disc with the art and broad strokes on where they should go based on major streets or highway interchanges."

Gary Gray, a political consultant who typically represents Democratic candidates, has about eight A-frames, but has to go to Paladin for others when his are tied up.

"This is one of the years when all of the county races and the judicial offices are up (for election) at the same time," Gray said. "There's just not that many providers of them and as the valley grows, there's a greater need for them."

Gray said that while the large signs are necessarily effective in smaller races, he does agree that putting them up early is a good strategy to keep other candidates out of the race.

"There's a lot of inside games with signs," Gray said. "If you dominate the area, you scare some people off."

Oaks' supporters weren't frightened when dozens of Young signs began popping up around the county. But since Young's consultant Oram is tied to Paladin, they went looking elsewhere for the A-frames.

That left Friendly Signs and McCurdy. Friendly's were all leased and since McCurdy wouldn't lease to anyone in the sheriff's race, DeMasi's homemade signs became the solution.

"We can build two a day," DeMasi said. "If we had known eight months ago, we could've done this for other candidates."6"The one thing that will stick out as you drive down the road is the A-frame."