In the final paragraph of her September 17 letter to the editor, Bonnie Phinney asked why Republican candidates’ lawn signs appearing throughout Little Compton do not identify their political party, ending her question with, “Hmmm…”

Apparently, Ms. Phinney had no difficulty recognizing that the signs belonged to Republican candidates —even without the word “Republican” printed on them.

After reading her comments, I reviewed Republican campaign signs used during the previous three election cycles. Those signs also did not include the candidates’ party affiliation. This is neither new nor an attempt to conceal anything. Campaign signs have limited space and are generally designed to communicate a candidate’s name and the office being sought clearly and quickly.

We cannot know Ms. Phinney’s intent, but the insinuation in her letter was unnecessary. Our candidates have been publicly endorsed by the Little Compton Republican Town Committee, and their affiliations are no secret.

Nevertheless, we thank Ms. Phinney for drawing even more attention to our endorsed candidates and their campaign signs. We welcome the opportunity for voters to learn more about every candidate, examine their records and decide who will best serve Little Compton.

Michael W. Rocha II

Little Compton

Rocha is chairman of Little Compton Republican Town Committee and a candidate for Little Compton Town Council.