Stolen 'trophy' spat

Photo / Supplied

Escort-turned-mayoral contender Lisa Lewis has called the police on another Hamilton council candidate.

She is angry after a fellow council candidate took one of her campaign signs and put it in his office "like it's a trophy".

The sign was returned undamaged after Lewis called the police and threatened police action. But Lewis, who leapt to prominence by running across a rugby test match in a bikini, wants an apology.

She accuses Hamilton West candidate Ken Vernon of "tasteless" behaviour and is calling for him to stand down.

Part of the dispute is about whether she had permission to erect the billboard on a Greenwich St property. She says yes, Vernon says no.

Vernon called her this week to say he had removed the sign and binned it.

"I let him have his speech then I said, 'I know you're standing for council and I find it very disrespectful that you've pulled down my sign'," said Lewis.

He then acknowledged that the billboard was, in fact, hanging in his office.

He invited Lewis to meet him to collect it.

"I think that's disgusting," she said. "It's almost like it's a trophy to him."

Lewis contacted the police, who told her if the sign was damaged or not returned she was within her rights to make a complaint.

Though Vernon disputed some of Lewis' account, he acknowledged he had the sign in his office and said he had now returned it.

"The sign has been returned to her unbroken and I got a text from her afterwards saying thank you very much."

"I rang her and told her I had thrown it in the rubbish, which I hadn't.

"I just did that in annoyance," he said. "She then said she was going to charge me for the sign."

Lewis was still angry: "If he's standing on policies of honesty and accountability then that's completely inaccurate and he should pull out," she said.