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Candidates Question Wilkes-Barre City Ordinance

Candidates Question Wilkes-Barre City Ordinance - Monday, October 15, 2007 at 6:16PM EST

Reported by: Mike Trim
Monday, Oct 15, 2007 @06:16pm EST

WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Just a few weeks before Election Night and some candidates in the City of Wilkes-Barre are taking down their campaign signs.

The city decided to strictly enforce an sign ordinance, and some people are questioning the timeliness. At the end of last week's city council meeting, the announcement was made: take all signs off public property, or they'll be taken down.

An old city ordinance prohibits temporary signs on public property, but according to some candidates, that hasn't been enforced in years, leaving some asking, why now, and why so close to the election?

Wilkes-Barre mayoral candidate Linda Stets stands next to her campaign sign. A city ordinance says signs like this can be posted on private property, not public. Last week, city council decided to strictly enforce the law that's on the books for years. "I think it was kind of coincidental because I think this is going to be a very interesting mayor and council race," she said.

All campaigns signs, including city, county and state races, fall under the ordinance. Driving through Wilkes-Barre, we only found a few signs, like here on Hazle and High streets. Those were on private property. City Council Chairman Bill Barrett says the time was right to limit signs. Barrett says, "They are a distraction, the wind can blow them out in the road. A whole bunch of other things can happen. They literally end up littering the landscape."

But Stets says the timing is questionable. The ordinance is decades old, and hasn't been enforced in recent elections. The Department of Public Works had to remove signs on public property on Monday. Stets says, "I don't understand why the mayor would overburden these workers. I mean, they have enough responsibility."

"It's not targeting anyone in particular. And if you're a responsible candidate and you do care about what you're doing, it shouldn't be of any great concern," said Barrett.

Now Stets and other candidates have moved their signs and moved on with their campaigns. Stets said her campaign had to remove about 20 signs. DPW workers we talked with today said most of the signs were already removed this morning, limiting work for them.
 


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