MANCHESTER, NH — An electronic billboard that shows an obscene word is generating controversy in a New Hampshire city.
Mike Gill, a local activist and owner of a business called The Mortgage Specialists, erected the sign on his building along South Willow Street, along with two other billboards in other New Hampshire cities.
The message accuses Sen. Shaheen and Sen. Ayotte of corruption, and uses an obscenity when referring to them.
"It's not appropriate especially during the holiday season, there's children around here," one driver told FOX25 as they passed the sign, which sits along a busy road.
Brian Sowa, a Manchester resident, said, "It's not good, doesn't put out a good image for the city, it definitely shouldn't be there."
But Gill told FOX25 his intention is to shock residents into listening to his message.
"I speak for thousands of victims," Gill said. "I'm not offending children, I'm protecting the children in what I'm doing here."
Gill runs a website called The State of Corruption, and has a radio segment where he discusses alleged misdeeds and extortion by top state officials.
Gill said anyone who is focused on the use of the curse word is missing the point of his protest.
"The test is, if you think (expletive) is an obscene word, then you missed, you failed the test. You're a (expletive) because the truth is, the [obscene] word is extortion," Gill told FOX25.
City officials said they've received enough complaints that they are investigating if the billboard, along with its bright LED lights, violates city ordinance.
Gill said his campaign to expose alleged misdeeds won't be stopped.
"It stays the way it does, alright?" Gill told FOX25. "I'd change that for Jesus. That's it."