Roefaro's request leads Hess to remove cigarette lawn signs

Signs advertising low-priced cigarettes being sold at Hess Corp. were recently removed by the company after Utica Mayor David Roefaro requested that Hess remove advertisements.

The yard signs state “camel Cigarettes. Lowest Price Allowed By Law” and, according to Roefaro, signs send a confusing message to children walking past them on their way to school.

The mayor complimented Hess for “being one of the most manicured and clean gas station chains in Utica” but said he feels “the signs begging for cigarette sales don’t match the corporate image you have built for your company.”

“Hess did the right thing yesterday,” the mayor wrote in a news release. “They heeded the City’s concerns and proved their company puts people over profits. While smoking remains a personal choice, Hess agrees, doing everything possible to curtail the habit in Utica’s youth is priority number one.”