Sign Theft Spat Riles District 9 Candidates

Jeff Bollini, a Cambrian resident, told District 9 candidates he had taken their campaign signs and said they could retrieve them from his home, according to a May 12 report by San José Spotlight. Rick Ator and Mike Hennessy, two candidates in the June 2 San Jose City Council primary, said the removals have stripped away dozens of signs and disrupted their outreach. The dispute has spread across a five-candidate race for the only open San Jose council seat on the June ballot. City election materials show District 9 is one of five council districts on the June 2 primary ballot. ### Who is taking the signs, and what does he say he is doing? Jeff Bollini described himself to San José Spotlight as a “part-time volunteer” who removes signs he believes were placed illegally. The outlet reported that Bollini said he was performing a lawful public service by clearing what he viewed as visual blight, not targeting any one campaign. (sanjosespotlight.com) San José Spotlight reported that Bollini went further than an anonymous sign thief usually would: he contacted candidates directly and provided his home address so campaigns could pick up the signs. That detail has made the episode less a mystery than a documented fight over who gets to decide whether a sign is improperly placed. ### Which candidates say they were hit hardest? (sanjosespotlight.com) Rick Ator, a tech worker, and Mike Hennessy, an entrepreneur, told San José Spotlight that scores of their signs have disappeared. Ator said the losses were constant, telling the outlet that signs he put out were gone by the next day. The reported removals were clustered along Almaden Expressway, Blossom Hill Road, Capitol Expressway and Hillsdale Avenue, according to San José Spotlight. (sanjosespotlight.com) Ator and Hennessy said the losses have cost their campaigns thousands of dollars. ### Is this only about two campaigns? The June 2 District 9 primary includes five candidates: Ator, Hennessy, licensed family and marriage therapist Genny Altwer, District 9 Chief of Staff Scott Hughes and longtime city employee Gordon Chester. (sanjosespotlight.com) San José Spotlight reported that Bollini said he had removed signs for other candidates as well, not just for Ator and Hennessy. Scott Hughes is the current chief of staff in the District 9 office, according to the city’s website. The race opened because Vice Mayor Pam Foley’s seat is on the 2026 ballot and District 9 is the only open San Jose council contest this cycle, according to San José Spotlight candidate profiles and city materials. ### What have police and city officials done? (sanjosespotlight.com) San José Spotlight reported that Ator and Hennessy filed reports with law enforcement after the signs went missing. The article also said San Jose officials rejected Bollini’s reading of the city’s sign rules, though the available search excerpts do not include the officials’ names or a direct city statement laying out that interpretation in full. (sanjoseca.gov) The City of San José’s election page says the City Attorney’s Office provides legal interpretation of the municipal code on elections and ethics, while the Board of Fair Campaign and Political Practices reviews and investigates alleged violations of city campaign and ethics rules. The city’s election materials also direct candidates and residents to campaign advertising disclosures and other compliance resources. (sanjosespotlight.com) ### Why has the fight become more heated? San José Spotlight reported that the dispute has escalated beyond missing lawn signs. The outlet said the conflict has involved tense confrontations, video surveillance and reports of an unknown chemical agent found on some signs. In one incident, San José Spotlight reported, Hennessy entered Bollini’s home without permission to retrieve signs. (sanjoseca.gov) That detail, along with the police reports and the direct contact between Bollini and campaigns, has turned a routine complaint about missing election signs into a broader conflict among people tied to the race. ### What happens next in the District 9 race? (sanjosespotlight.com) June 2 is the next fixed date in the contest. The City of San José says District 9 voters will cast ballots that day in the primary for the open council seat, and the qualified-candidate materials list the race as part of the 2026 city election cycle. The candidates on that ballot are Rick Ator, Mike Hennessy, Genny Altwer, Scott Hughes and Gordon Chester. (sanjosespotlight.com) Campaign finance filings and candidate materials remain available through the city clerk’s election portal as the race moves toward the primary. (sanjoseca.gov) (sanjoseca.gov)