Sign of the Times

“My philosophy is you can level the playing field by painting billboards.”

Jim O’Hara, Candidate for Montana governor

Photo by Jim O’Hara

What’s a guy to do if he wants to be governor but isn’t well known, doesn’t have a lot of cash, and is up against a packed field? If the guy is Jim O’Hara of Fort Benton, Montana (population 1,443), he tackles the problem with a paintbrush.

Mr. O’Hara, a county commissioner, is running for governor of Montana against 14 other candidates. To rise above the crowd, Mr. O’Hara, who studied art in college, painted billboards depicting the state’s 56 courthouses and is putting them up in all of the counties. This is not a short-term project. Mr. O’Hara started painting the billboards in his garage in the mid-2000s, put in the billboard posts in 2009, and has been erecting the signs this year. He plans to finish by early next year, weather permitting. Mr. O’Hara says his wife and family thought he was nuts when he started the project, but they’re on board now.

Read the article → Montana candidate for governor spreads name with paintbrush