Student Association presidential candidate Joseph Annunzio said he and his campaign mananger were responsible for removing and destroying an opponent’s campaign banner Friday.

The banner, which hung over a balcony at 623 Lucinda Ave., belonged to SA Public Relations Adviser Paula Radtke. She said she saw Annunzio’s sign at the house and asked residents if she could hang her banner also.

“The guys at the house said I could hang my banner, but they didn’t know how long it would remain up there,” she said.

About an hour after posting the banner, Radtke said she returned to find it torn down and slashed.

One resident said he was there when the banner was damaged but did not recognize who did it. “There were two guys and one took a switchblade and ripped it (the banner) up,” he said.

The resident said the person left the shredded banner on the front lawn and returned later to throw it on the side of the house.

Annunzio said he went to the house to hang another banner and when he saw Radtke’s he asked if he could remove it. “The three guys said there was no problem with taking Paula’s sign down,” he said.

“I didn’t take it down, but I know I’m responsible for my peoples’ actions. I went over with Tony (Alyinovich, Annunzio’s campaign manager). I tried to tell him to stop (slashing the banner), but it was too late,” Annunzio said. “He was cutting it, but I don’t know what he was cutting it with,” he said.

Annunzio later said, “Tony is not working on my campaign any longer. I fired him this afternoon.”

Alyinovich said, however, “I tried to give Joe my resignation, but he wouldn’t take it. He never fired me,” he said.”

Although Alyinovich said he did remove the banner with permission, he denied slashing it with a switchblade. “Someone at the house gave me a metal object to pry the nails which held the banner up, and I might have ripped it in doing so,” he said.

Radtke said her banner was hung with rope and taped with duct tape.

SA Recreation Committee Adviser Todd Lokken said he was sitting in his office Sunday, and he heard Annunzio and Alyinovich discussing a “plan.”

“I heard him (Alyinovich) say ‘We’ll tell them I might have ripped it when I took it down,'” Lokken said.

SA Elections Commissioner Doug Moore said, “Something will be done to prevent stuff like this from happening again. There is no specific precedent in the bylaws, so I will discuss it with the commission. We’ll probably have a decision Monday afternoon (regarding what action will be taken against Annunzio).”

Radtke’s campaign manager, SA Sen. Dave Stern, said Annunzio told him Sunday morning a member of his staff ripped the banner. Stern said, “He must be worried about winning this election fairly if he resorts to this kind of thing.”