Ryk Bullock, the town and school district moderator, said he will give $500 of his own money to anyone who files a report of a damaged or stolen sign that leads to the arrest and successful conviction of the vandals.

“It is time for someone to take a stand on behalf of every political candidate that expends resources and energy trying to run a campaign for election to any office, be it local, statewide or nationally, within the town,” Bullock said.

Bullock wants the responsible individuals caught and held liable under all applicable state statutes for removing, defacing, or vandalizing any legally erected sign. Bullock said he will issue his payment after the conviction and any reasonable period of appeal for the accused vandals.

Bullock said his effort at combating the problem is something he felt he should do as town moderator. Bullock himself ran for that office last March, but he noted he has no signs at stake in this upcoming election.

“Hopefully, my standing behind my convictions (with check in hand) that elections should be fair and equitable within our community will prove to be a deterrent to the vandals, from wherever they reside, that feel defacing/removal of signs is acceptable,” Bullock said.

No one has ever done this before in the state, according to Bullock. This is the second time he has offered a reward for sign vandalism. Bullock first posted his reward for the capture of the vandals –whom he refers to as “sign fairies” – during town and school elections earlier this year in March.

After he announced the reward, he said the vandalism came to a halt, something he attributes to the fact that there were a number of people on the lookout, motivated by the prospect of extra cash.

“Now, all of the sudden there’s a $500 bounty hanging over them, and right now $500 is a lot of money,” Bullock said.

Mischief with signs has become a predictable part of any election season – local, state, and national – in Bedford. During his bid for Town Council several years ago, Mike Izbicki said vandals took out 54 of his signs.

Fellow Councilor Bob Young lost half of his signs during his run as well, Izbicki said.

The November election appears to be no exception. Earlier this year, a large sign for U.S. Sen. John Sununu at the corner of Route 114 and Donald Street had the word “dump” spraypainted on it. And a sign for state Sen. Sheila Roberge had an obscenity written on it and had to be taken down, according to officials.

Also, Bullock said he had received a complaint from a former town official that eight signs for state representative candidates had been dumped over the corner of New Boston and Wallace roads.