The campaign for mayor in Lewiston, Maine took on racist overtones when a landlord posted signs comparing a Chinese American candidate to former Vietnamese communist leader Ho Chi Minh, reports the Portland Press Herald.
Ben Chin,30, is a third generation American and one of four candidates opposing incumbent Robert Macdonald.
The signs which read “Don’t vote for Ho Chi Chin. Vote for more jobs not more welfare.” have been posted at two buildings a property company manages.
“This kind of show of racism surely does not help Maine’s reputation, especially in the current efforts to attract global investment to boost our local economies,” Kwok Yeung, Chinese and American Friendship Association of Maine, said in a statement.
Joseph Dunn, who manages Sullivan Property Management, acknowledged he put up the signs saying Chin and his employer, Maine People’s Alliance, have branded him a slumlord. He says he took down the signs because tenants complained, but plans to put them back up elsewhere.
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You can read reaction from Chin and some of his opponents in the Portland Press Herald.
