Leonard Amicola, a disabled Vietnam veteran who has lived in Croton-on-Hudson for 67 years, said he will fight a municipal citation that seeks to remove a "Trump is my President" banner displayed at his home.
Village officials told News12 Westchester the display violates a longstanding prohibition on banners and is being treated as a routine code-enforcement matter. Mayor Brian Pugh said the ban has been applied to at least 17 other properties, and that enforcement is not a free-speech issue.
Amicola said he has flown Trump flags or banners since 2021 and that some were stolen or damaged by people who objected to the political message. "I did at one time have it on the pole, and one night somebody came and took it and it was gone," he told the outlet. "So that's, I think, when I decided to put it up there — which is, they can't get to it." He said he will plead not guilty to the citation and has retained an attorney.
Attorney Roseann Schuyler, representing Amicola, argued the village's enforcement is content-based and therefore implicates the First Amendment. "We believe that the village's enforcement action is unfair, that it targets the content of his speech rather than simply the display," she said. "We feel that his actions are protected under the First Amendment," and added the dispute "may be a matter we need to bring to federal court."
Village officials pointed to the municipal code's banner prohibition as the basis for the notice. Pugh said the rule has been enforced against other residents and that the matter is "a straight forward code enforcement matter, not a free speech issue." The mayor did not provide details about the other cited properties.
The dispute follows an earlier instance in which the village publicly honored Amicola. In 2023, he was among residents selected for a Veterans Banner Program intended "to honor village residents who have served in the armed forces." Village officials at the time said the banners would "serve as a reminder throughout the year of their courage and sacrifice for all residents of our village, state and country." That banner hailed Amicola as a "Hometown Hero."
Local code provisions limiting banners, signs and similar displays are common in municipalities that cite safety, aesthetic and zoning concerns. Municipal enforcement typically focuses on whether a display complies with size, placement and permitting rules. In this case, the veteran and his lawyer contend that the village's application of the prohibition to a political banner singles him out because of the message.
Amicola's case adds to a series of local disputes nationwide in which residents and municipalities have clashed over political signs and flags. He said he intends to fight the citation in local court and is prepared to escalate the matter if necessary. The village has not announced a timeline for further enforcement action or legal response.
News12 Westchester reported the account; representatives for the village and Amicola provided the quoted statements to that outlet.
