Recently, local attorney and County Commissioner candidate Travis McConnell submitted a letter outlining why he and his supporters should be able to display yard signs even though candidates of the past (myself included) have always adhered to a “no signs should be displayed until 60 days before the election” policy.
McConnell’s contention is that there is no actual city ordinance on the books, so citizens should be able to exercise their first amendment rights and display political signs year round.
If McConnel is right, and there isn’t an ordinance, this needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
I’m all for free speech, and as someone that has and will again run for office, I have and will use yard signs. However, in a day in which a person’s political beliefs are routinely available on social media, it’s been nice to have some breathing room between election cycles so that we can remember we’re neighbors in a community rather than combatants over issues and candidates.
So, it’s my hope that if indeed McConnell is correct and there is no city ordinance, our local leadership should remedy that soon.
