Former state Senator Art Helton’s campaign truck was parked at the site of the proposed Bel Air Wal-Mart Wednesday afternoon, sporting a “No Bel-Air Walmart” sign along with messages geared to winning him back a Senate seat in 2014.
The site along MD 924 near Plumtree Rd. is owned by Evergreen Business Trust, although it’s slated for sale if Wal-Mart can get their plan approved by Harford County government. Wal-Mart’s plan has also been a sore point with hundreds of nearby residents who say the mega-store doesn’t belong in the area.
Did Helton’s display mean that the familiar Democratic candidate and commercial re-developer had purchased the land to protect Bel Air from Wal-Mart? Or was the notable site chosen simply to launch Helton’s latest campaign for a far off election?
Responding to questions from The Dagger, Sen. Helton wrote:
“I have launched a campaign for Senate 2014.I’ve been actively campaigning since early Dec. I have a campaign committee since 2009. I was on the protest line with the volunteers Sat. at WALMART in Abingdon.I have pledged my support of their efforts to stop WALMART from impacting their communities. New legislative district as a result of census redistricting. FYI. The Harford part of the district left from 2010 election is an area in which I was the winner, Gone is all of Cecil that was in the district in 2010.Much friendlier district for me. Thank you for the inquiry. Art”
I love having to see Art Helton’s truck and trailer parked illegally all over the county. I sure want a senator who can’t follow the law. But then again, he makes up addresses for the districts he wants to run in anyway…
So let me ask you this, you personally took the time to look up every piece of property and who it belongs to, private individual, business, government, whatever and you spoke with the appropriate people and they let you know he was parking on their property without their permission?
By the way, I’m not a fan of this guys antics either.
It’s not whether he owns the property that makes the sign placement illegal. Maryland election law prohibits candidates from posting signs more than 45 days prior to the election
Both Art and Glenn do this (park their billboard illegally). That said I am sure he will not do well.
No but I have spoken to two of them and his truck was moved shortly thereafter.
Art would jump on any band wagon to try to be relevant again. I wonder if anyone protested his stores that he owned. Thats right, democrats play by a different set of rules.
Marc, We found something in which we totally agree. I am realizing how wrong I was making fun of you. Best wishes.
Took us a while to understand each other but we got there.
Art Helton, the democratic version of David Craig, a lot of talk no action. Here is an idea why don’t both of them just go away?
Art Helton in 2014! Hey-oh! Nancy Jacobs has got to go!
Nancy or Art, NEITHER is a choice worth having! In Art’s letter though, he pledges his support to stop Walmart from impacting their communities. Well guess what Art, we KNOW that you can’t win in your quest for the state senate again (as you are the perennial loser!) AND that if you WERE in the state senate, there’s not a damn thing you’d be able to do regarding this local zoning issue. We are not stupid, but you are a pandering moron!
A politician running against the biggest employer in America wanting to bring new jobs and additional taxes paid to Harford county.
Art is running on the stupid people will vote for anything if it sounds impressive campaign and I hear there are at least 150 westboro protesters that stood out in front of Walmart on Saturday that will surely vote for Art if they are in his district.
Good luck Art, you’ll need it.
Alinsky in action. Are all protestors “westboro” or just the ones that don’t want the Walmart right there? Say what you want about Helton but to continue to smear your neighbors only suggests just how twisted and oddly personal you take Walmart’s success or failure to be.
The Alinsky accusation has become an overused cliche among the hard right everytime they think they found a ‘gotcha’ moment.
Let it go.
This has nothing to do with liberals or conservatives but smearing protestors and describing them as “westboro” serves no purpose. It is at the heart of our constitutional right to stand in a public space and voice your right to dissent. Comparing folks that want to preserve thier neighborhoods as equal to those that protest at soldiers funerals because of some fantasy/weird association with homosexuality is pretty despicable if you ask me. Frankly I think Bob owes a bunch of folks an enormous apology. Other than describing that as his “alinsky” moment not sure what that might be other than mental illness and I’d like to think Bob isn’t mentally ill.
Well it’s great to see Moneytree spending our tax dollars at her government job busily posting on news sites instead of working and ashame we won’t hear back from her till she returns to “work” monday morning for another busy day of not working and arguing the growth characteristics of native north American deciduous trees…
But to the point the protesters are westboro style because they are protesting the wrong people/business. Walmarts employees working at that store either don’t care or are for a bigger store. The customers of that store are not going to stop and probably would love a grocery dept in a new updated store. So protesting in front of the existing store is only being done to disrupt traffic and an ongoing legal business.
If Walmart can move legally, all the protesting in the world isn’t going to stop this from happening.
Want to know who they should be protesting? Yea I thought you would….
The owner of the property, I’m sure it’s not too hard to find them, especially with Arts help, I have heard names and they are familiar wealthy residents of Harford county hiding in the shadows behind corporate names. Picket them, have them turn it into a park, or donate it to the county, have them stop the sale to Walmart. It’s the only sure way to put and end to this. Or of course you and Art can continue standing on the curb westboro style trying to influence the actions of the wrong people while the gears of corporate America grind you to dust.
I understand now…….YOU don’t think that it warrants the type of protesting that occurred, so the protestors are therefore WRONG for doing so; got it. I wasn’t “on the picket line”, so I’m not quite sure who you THINK I am. Please keep ASSuming, though…it’s amusing.
Who’s talking to you? The voices in yer head again?
BelAirBob: I am neither a dog, nor a child. I require no permission to speak my mind; I will no longer engage your desperate & childish antics in attempting to garner attention for YOURSELF vs the issue at hand. When you can get over yourself, and re-join this discussion with intelligent & focused responses – then you’ll be rewarded with POSITIVE feedback. Until then? Good night.
@What’s Best for HarCo
So if you were a talking dog what kind of dog would you be?
A Westboro Spaniel?
Hey guess what!
You have no clue what’s best for Harford County, you only know what you want.
Hey I want Walmart to build on that properly zoned commercial property in the Harford County development envelope.
I saw this truck with the campaign signs tonight in the Box Hill Shopping Center. The thought that crosses my mind is this; If this district is much friendlier to you now that Cecil County has been cut out of it, then why do you have to drive around in a mobile community eyesore 19 months before the election?
I can agree with the notion that things need to change in Annapolis (and in Washington); but yet another big-government Democrat is ABSOLUTELY NOT THE ANSWER!! Did we learn nothing from watching the Democrat hegemony run off with our wallets in this year’s General Assembly session!?
See his car parked illegally on rt 7 near longshots quite often. We should call the police and have it ticketed. Perhaps that will make the blotter.
I’d like to know how all of you know for a fact that Senator Helton’s truck is parked illegally throughout Harford County? Did you all SERIOUSLY take time out of your days to call each & every location that you have seen his truck & receive verbal confirmation that it was INDEED illegally parked?; or is that just your ASSumption & you’re into spreading lies via the internet? I’ll bet it’s the latter. I’m VERY curious to know where you heard that the minions of the Westboro Baptist Moron Club were picketing that Wal-Mart. Seems to me that the person who suggested that is EXTREMELY uneducated about where & why those fools even protest. I, for one, was ecstatic to see Senator Helton opposes this; where was Nancy? “Vacation”………………..again?
It does seem a bit over the top. Not sure parking his truck warrants the wrath of the almightly – if you believe that then you gotta have way too much time on your hands.
If his vehicle is parked on private property it would not be illegally parked unless the property owner lodged a complaint.
Because when it is parked in a park and ride across two-three spots so that it gets the best view on 24 it is illegally parked. It is also not using the park and ride for it’s intended purpose when it is left sitting there for a few days.
The top law enforcement officer in Harford County is a Democrat and so is Mr. Helton. Don’t count on something being done about this. The voters will have to decide if Mr. Helton’s disregard for the law and his lack of common courtesy proves him to be someone they want representing them.
If it was enforced I am sure that ticket would disappear under L J Bane. Would not be the first time he took care of a friends ticket. I should have kept a copy of that one.
Well put, “The Money Tree”
Find me a politician who doesnt picture themselves with children, or use the word “change”.