By Jim Keithley

Sentry staff

    “I feel sad, I feel angry, I feel dismayed, I feel empty.”

    Those words from Valorie Swiger after she learned
that the hundreds of yellow ribbons she placed around South Portland
were taken down by city employees.

    City Manager Jeff Jordan ordered Department of
Public Works crews to remove all yellow ribbons that were affixed to
city property.

    Swiger, whose son is stationed in Iraq, placed the
yellow ribbons around the city last spring, as a show of support for
all troops serving in the war.

    Swiger learned that her yellow ribbons violated a
city ordinance. The ordinance reads; “No person shall attach, place,
paint, write, stamp, paste or otherwise affix any sign, advertisement
or other matter upon any electric light or public utilities pole, tree
or fire hydrant, or on any bridge, pavement, sidewalk or crosswalk,
public building or any property or thing belonging to the city or
located in the public streets or other public places; provided, that
this shall not be construed to prevent any public official from so
doing for any public purpose.”

    Swiger was outraged and refused to remove her
ribbons. She attended almost every council meeting and demanded a
change to the ordinance.

    City officials never put the item on the agenda. The
issue will be discussed during an upcoming workshop on Wednesday, Oct.
15.

    City Clerk Susan Mooney said she tried to set up a
meeting between the mayor, corporation counsel and Swiger last week to
let her know that the city would remove the ribbons, if she did not.
Swiger refused to meet with the city privately.

    “Whatever they want to say to me, they can say in public,” Swiger said. “This is a public issue.”

    On Monday, Sept. 29, four city workers removed the
yellow ribbons. It was after 5 p.m. The ribbon removal project cost the
city $309.98 in overtime, according to city officials.

    Swiger said she was driving home along Broadway last
Monday, when she noticed work crews removing her ribbons.

    “I saw them do it,” she said.

    Swiger said the removal of her yellow ribbons will
likely send a negative message to the troops fighting in Iraq.

    “How many more times can this city show these kids
that they’re not worth it,” Swiger said. “I don’t understand it.”

    The yellow ribbon controversy got heated last month
when city officials said some residents called to say the ribbons were
looking “tattered.” Swiger went from pole-to-pole, tree-to-tree and
replaced the weathered ribbons with new ribbons.

    Swiger even called Central Maine Power Company and
Verizon and was given permission to hang her yellow ribbons. Last week
the utility companies said they did not want to get involved the local
dispute and handed the power back to city hall.

    “We ask everybody to go through the town, it’s
really up to the town,” said Peggy Cummings, a supervisor for Central
Maine Power Company.

    “The bottom line is, if the town doesn’t have a
problem with it, than CMP doesn’t have a problem with it,” Cummings
said.

    Swiger is still upset over the removal of the
ribbons. She said she received another letter from her son, Jason, the
same day the ribbons came down. She said her son is somewhere in Iraq.
He wrote about how a convoy in front of his, recently came under fire.
Jason Swiger wrote: “Some of the guys came into contact the other day.
They were only a couple of hours ahead of us on the same route.”

    Swiger said the letter and the news of her yellow ribbons coming down were too much to handle.

    “I cried all night,” she said.

    Swiger’s yellow ribbons are in two large bags in the
city clerk’s office. Susan Mooney said she sent a letter to Swiger
saying she could pick them up or could arrange for them to be dropped
off. The ribbons will remain in the city clerk’s office through the end
of October.

    Swiger said she has no intention of retrieving the ribbons.

    “It was a gift to the residents of this city who
have friends and family serving,” Swiger said. “That’s all it ever was.”

    Swiger said she’s not sure what she will do next.

    “They don’t have to do this,” she said. “They weren’t hurting anybody.”