BOSTON — A Hanson resident has not projected a ‘Trump 2024’ logo on a water tower in nearly two weeks, but town officials are continuing to shine spotlights, finding themselves in a “stalemate.”

The resident received a cease-and-desist letter from the town’s zoning enforcement officer on Oct. 12 and has not displayed the image since. The resident also “declined to agree in writing” that the logo will never go back up again,” the Select Board said in a release after meeting in executive session to discuss the issue Tuesday night.

“This has locked the Town into an unfortunate stalemate, and to avoid an on-again, off-again cycle, the Select Board has decided to leave measures in place to dim the projection until further notice,” the board said in a statement.

Officials have reiterated that they do not “endorse any political candidate, party or platform in any election.” Town bylaws also “prohibit the display of political symbols or signage on government property.”

Instead of explicitly describing the image as a “Trump 2024” logo, officials are calling it a “political sign” without offering any further details.

Town Administrator Lisa Green condemned the resident’s actions in a release earlier this month, saying the projection could “cost a significant amount of taxpayer dollars” with officials using spotlights to dim the logo on the water tower.

The Select Board highlighted how the “deeply unfortunate and unnecessary situation” has prompted “at least one threat” sent in a voicemail toward a town official and a “number of inappropriate and vulgar phone calls and email messages to Town employees who are just doing their jobs.”

“While it is believed that these messages do not originate locally, they are nonetheless concerning,” the Select Board said in its statement. “The Town has informed and is cooperating with the appropriate law enforcement authorities in this matter.”

The cease-and-desist order that the town issued the resident carries the “maximum fine of $100 per day” until the logo is no longer visible, Green said earlier this month. The fine, however, will “likely not cover” expenses that the town is putting into addressing the situation, she noted.

“This individual’s actions have the potential to cost a significant amount of taxpayer dollars,” she said, “including attorney fees, overtime to pay Highway Department workers to turn the spotlight on and off each day, and the potential for having to rent or purchase stronger lighting equipment.”

Donald Trump supporters held a stand-out in the South Shore town on Sunday to show respect to the resident who displayed the image.

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