‘More Treats. Less Squirrels’: Shepherdstown resident uses political sign to bring positivity to election season
SHEPHERDSTOWN — As the General Election approaches on Nov. 5, political signs have begun filling roadsides throughout the country. And, depending on the candidates on the signs, passersby often come away feeling a strong mix of, often negative, emotions.
But one Shepherdstown family has decided to flip the script and bring some positivity to the public, with a unique twist on the traditional political sign. Those who pass by 305 West German Street may notice a sign featuring the Maggio’s four-year-old Teacup Pomeranian, Tiki. On the sign is Tiki’s whimsical campaign slogan, “More Treats. Less Squirrels.”
According to Edward Maggio, he and his wife, Jennifer, have hopes that the sign will help offset the polarized political climate.
“Like most people right now, we have friends and family who are politically divided on both sides,” Maggio said. “My wife and I are more in the middle — we vote for candidates in both parties. I think, like many people, we feel that pressure to align ourselves with a side.
“We had friends and family who were talking about the signs they were putting up, and we had nothing to share, because we weren’t going to put up any signs for candidates,” Maggio said.
But those conversations percolated in the minds of the Maggios until an idea came to them, to make a sign that they could completely get behind. They worked with an artist on Etsy to design the sign, which they then set up in front of their home at the beginning of September.
“We thought that it would be funny to put a sign out with our dog, because what’s one thing we all agree on? We like the dog!” Maggio laughed. “It has also served a second purpose. We have a five-year-old and our neighbors have children who have to get on and off the bus every day. Unfortunately, sometimes people speed past our house. It has helped to have a sign like this out here, because people like to slow down to read it.”
In spite of the good intentions behind the sign, Maggio said that some people have assumed there is an ulterior motive behind it.
“It is interesting. Some people have asked us, ‘What is your agenda?’ We have none! We just want to let some steam out of the political kettle,” Maggio said. “That’s all!”
There have been a number of towns in the U.S. that have elected dogs to political office, such as a Great Pyrenees that served as mayor of Cormorant Village, Minn. from 2014-2019 and a black Labrador-Rottweiler mix that was elected mayor of Sunol, Calif. from 1981-1994. However, Maggio said that was far from his and his wife’s intentions, regarding the sign.
“I walk Tiki a lot around town, and people have asked, ‘What does this mean? Is he running for office?’ No!” Maggio said. “We just need to take things a little less seriously.”