City Rejects $5 Fine for Old Campaign Signs

Following a debate peppered with profanity, name-calling and even a hurled sign, the City Council this week rejected a proposal to impose a fine of $5 for every political sign left standing 15 days after an election.

Council members who several weeks ago had proposed the idea of fines said Tuesday that they did not believe the proposal would solve any problems that might arise because of campaign signs.

“This has become a tempest in a teapot,” Councilwoman Jan M. Flory said. “Frankly, I don’t care about this issue.”

An angry council meeting regular, Allan Morton, flung an old campaign sign belonging to Councilwoman Julie Sa. The sign hit Sa on the face, and Morton apologized, but demanded that the city enforce its existing sign ordinance.

Resident Chris Beard, who disagreed with Morton, called political signs “the flowers of democracy.” He said posting campaign signs, even illegally in the public right of way, is part of “the fun of the political season.”

The current ordinance prohibits campaign signs in the public right of way and calls for placards to be taken down no more than 15 days after an election. But it imposes no fines and is enforced only sporadically.

Councilman Peter Godfrey said the idea of imposing fines for something seldom enforced is “absurd.”