Politics
Politician Against Political Road Signs
October 28, 2008 
The following is a political post by Rod Beck, ACHD candidate. The GUARDIAN offers space to any candidate wishing to express their views.
By ROD BECK
There are many issues to talk about regarding the Ada County Highway District Commissioner contests, from funding sources, to increasing the auto registration fees, interaction with other local governments, growth impact fees to name a few. However, there is one area that can be corrected now without spending a lot of tax dollars. Clean up the public right of way. That’s right, let’s remove all the clutter of commercial and political signs that are placed in our public right of way.
Doesn’t it irritate you to have to endure all the debris of commercial and political signs as you drive around our community? As noted recently in the local daily paper, such signs are not allowed on State Highways. Employees of the Idaho Transportation Department will remove any such sign placed in the public right of way on State Highways as soon as they are discovered.
If I’m elected to the ACHD Board of Commissioners, I will introduce an ordinance that would clean up our public right of way in Ada County as well. The proposal would require employees of the ACHD to remove any commercial or political sign on any road or highway public right of way in Ada County as soon as they are discovered. Political candidates will be notified early that they no longer have permission to place such signs on the public right of way in Ada County.
We will be able to enjoy a clutter free commute to work or any other purpose such as a drive to Grandma’s house or even a trip to a BSU football game. Join me and support clean, debris free streets in Ada County.
Rod Beck
Rod Beck
4257 Tattenham Way
Boise, Idaho 83713
O (208) 376-5520
H (208) 376-9797
M (208) 859-4335
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Oct 28, 2008, 2:46 pm
I for one would agree with this. Clean the clutter! Looks like trailer trash around here!
Oct 28, 2008, 5:31 pm
Rod, I hope you’ll worry about a bit more than election signs on the highway, if you’re elected. Don’t you think there are some more important issues for you to rail about?
Simple solution – call the Ada County Sheriffs Office and have their inmates clean them up.
Oct 28, 2008, 6:03 pm
I agree as well. I have always kind of wondered about this idea, as well as the ‘get out and vote’ idea. While I absolutely agree that people should do their civic duty and vote….I just don’t feel they should do it uninformed, or just to do it. These election signs do nothing but promote name recognition, which triggers more votes. No matter what your opinion or views are, do some research on the races prior to going to the polls!
Oct 28, 2008, 6:47 pm
Mr. Beck, that was a waste of perfectly good webspace. I was hoping for something of substance that would help me decide who to vote for in that ACHD district 5 race.
I don’t have a problem with the political signs in the public right of way. I actually enjoy them, but it does bug me when they aren’t removed after the election. Saundra McDavid still has a sign up along the canal at Chinden and Star from her lost race for a house seat.
There are some really good folks over at ITD, yet they do have one segment of their agency that is the sign gestapo. They are so zealous in their efforts to rid the roadside of signage that they even remove them from private property, outside of the public right of way. Good luck arguing this point with them because they claim that every parcel of land in the state belongs to them one way or another. (This comes from lots of personal experience.)
I wonder what they do with all of the signs they confiscate? I hope they recycle them, ’cause I sure will not pay their stinkin’ fines.
Oct 28, 2008, 9:15 pm
Political “yard” signs seem to be a way of life in the valley. My only problem with them starts the day AFTER the election. An ordinance that insures they are removed within 24 hours would solve the problem from my standpoint.
A better effort for the public good would be to get rid of all those idiotic “bus bench” signs that have flooded the city. Now that we have designated bus stops, the next step should be to get rid of all those signs that aren’t located at the actual stops.
Oct 29, 2008, 8:50 am
Mr Beck,
Why don’t you start with your own rental property? If you don’t own it still, my apologies. However, I smell hypocrisy.
Oct 29, 2008, 1:21 pm
I agree that signs are a blight on the landscape. (I can deal with temporary political signs as long as they’re removed after Election Day. I don’t like the commercial ones for buying houses, sprinkler blowouts, lawn mowing, rototilling, etc.)
In the Boise City Limits, those signs are illegal, except for political and real-estate-for-sale. (Boise Uniform Sign Code, Chapter 4-07.) But I doubt it’s enforced very stringently, unless the citizens complain.
I confess to having taken down such temporary signs. I hate ’em! (I don’t damage ’em, just lay ’em flat on the ground.)
(I’d put the sign blight at #156 on ACHD’s list of priorities.)
Oct 29, 2008, 3:16 pm
It is not the political signs people it is the “we buy houses”, make money work at home, and garage sale signs that stay until the wind blows them down then we pay to have cleaned up.
Oct 30, 2008, 6:59 pm
Actually, the signs do serve one purpose:
Generally, after reading all the candidates’ speeches, survey answers, etc., in the newspaper and online, and maybe attending a few meetings, I have a pretty good idea of which ones I will vote for (Besides, trying to guess which of the things candidates say might actually be truth, and which of their promises they might actually keep, is a lot of fun).
But, when two candidates for the same job seem to come out in a tie after all that reading, etc., I’ll tend to vote *against* the ones with the biggest signs.
Reason? Anyone who would spend — or encourage or allow their campaigners to spend — thousands of dollars on huge signs when small ones would do just as well obviously isn’t very careful with money.
And if he or she is into really wasting money, that’s not something that helps attract my vote.
Hence, the signs do help me reach a decision.
Oct 31, 2008, 7:56 am
Some of those signs can be very useful. The larger ones made from coroplast(fluted plastic) can be used to reroof the dog house or make your own signs if you don’t mind the print on the back.