I don’t think there are too many among us who haven’t said something derogatory about the proliferation of political signs come election time. This fall’s civic campaign seemed to be particularly bad as all the usual haunts were absolutely loaded with plywood pleas from hopeful candidates.
That makes new Coun. Dylan Kruger’s motion, which asks staff to review sign regulations in other jurisdictions and come back with options, an interesting proposition as it could potentially spare us from (or at least minimize) the visual onslaught the comes with election campaigns.
Kruger’s motion could be considered disingenuous on a couple of fronts, given his slate, Achieving for Delta, was one of the biggest offenders when it came to sign excess. What’s more, reduced signage would make it difficult for newcomers (read challengers) to get their names out there, which would give incumbents an even greater advantage than they already enjoy.
But let’s take the motion at face value, that its intent is solely to devise a policy that would ensure the landscape doesn’t turn into one giant used car lot come election time, which I think most can agree is a laudable goal.
If we’re going to devise new regulations, my preference would be to only allow signs on private property. That seemed to be the case back in the day when a sign wasn’t just an advertisement, it was an endorsement from the owner of the property on which it sprouted. We’ve strayed from that premise to the point where the vast majority of signs are now on public property, which ostensibly tells us nothing other than the size of a candidate’s war chest.
If that’s considered too restrictive, then surely there have to be greater limits on where signs can be placed and the number of signs within any one area.
I’ve long found the issue a rather curious one given signs really don’t add a whole lot to public discourse during an election campaign. I guess a bunch of signs shows strength or popularity, which sends a generally positive message to voters, and I imagine if your opponent is dotting the landscape you want to keep up. But I hope not too many people vote for a candidate simply because they see their name over and over again at the side of the road.
