“We’re battling to the end” – Cameron Merkel

The Village of Slinger, Wisconsin, is ordering an elderly couple, Raymond and Marian Nowak, to take down their “God, Guns and Trump” sign.

“It is a way to display our patriotism, love for God, and our Second Amendment right. We have received numerous compliments from neighbors and others over the years,” Marian Nowak told Wisconsin Right Now. Raymond Nowak is a Vietnam War veteran.

We received a photo of the sign from Cameron Merkel, the couple’s grandson, who told Wisconsin Right Now, “My grandparents have received a letter for a flag that they have turned into a sign. This flag/sign has been up for nine years. There has been zero issue until now. Their neighbor is having the same issue but with a Trump Vance 2024 flag…Other members of the community have received similar letters.”

Merkel added, “I have reached out to local leaders that are looking into our situation and are going from there. I hope your strong media coverage would also help.” He said that his grandparents refer to the sign as their “yard decoration.”

The Feb. 12, 2025, letter was sent to Raymond and Marian Nowak of Slinger, Wisconsin. It has the subject line, “sign code violation.”

“The village has received a complaint concerning election/campaign signs still being displayed at your property. These signs or flags are in violation of the following Village Codes,” the letter states.

The village letter then cites codes indicating that political message signs are only allowed during the “election campaign period” plus up to “four days thereafter” and that temporary signs can only be displayed for seven consecutive days or 30 “cumulative days in a one-year period.”

“The election pertaining to these signs was November 4, 2025. Making November 8, 2024, the deadline to remove these signs and if considered a temporary sign can only be displayed for 7 consecutive days or 30 days total in a one year period,” the village wrote the Nowaks. The letter also goes into detail about flags that are allowed, including military flags.

“Flags displaying a political message or content are in violation of the above code. The deadline to remove these signs or flags is February 21, 2024,” demanded the village.

The letter was signed by Jeremy Pfeifer, Village of Slinger building inspector. It was copied to Margaret Wilber, the village administrator, and Tammy Tennies, the village clerk.

Wisconsin state law on political signs reads that such signs are allowed when “the sign is erected less than 45 days before the election for which it is intended and is removed within 7 days after the election except that a sign erected before a primary election may remain in place until 7 days after the next following general election if the sign solicits support for a candidate, political party or referendum question that is before the electorate in both the primary and the general election.”

In an interview, Merkel said that Trump inspired his grandfather to vote for the first time in his life.

“I wanted to add that they take serious pride in America. My grandfather was a non-voting Democrat for years until he saw how they were treating Trump and he has voted for a Republican ever since 2016,” he told WRN. “I was there when my grandmother first purchased the flag in 2016. She has always been a born-again Christian and her faith means the world to her. My grandfather has always been an avid hunter. It was one ‘decoration’ they could love and agree on together. I thank you again for your story.”

The Nowaks have been married or more than 40 years, he said, and have lived in Slinger since 1987.

“I was angry. I was, ‘Are you kidding me?'” said Merkel of the village’s action. Both of his grandparents are in their 70s, he said.

“They have purchased an American flag to put over it if need be just in case,” he noted. “We’re battling to the end and we’re not taking it down until they fine us or take it down,” he added.

According to Merkel, his grandparents are “respectful” and have previously taken down political signs, such as a Dan Kelly sign, after the election.

He told WRN that their neighbor asked the village if he could just cover the 2024 on his Trump/Vance sign to keep it up and was told he “can’t do that.”