Comments on: Politician Against Political Road Signs

By: Clancy

Clancy — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:56:27 +0000

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.

By: Gordon

Gordon — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:59:01 +0000

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.

By: Mkjcrich

Mkjcrich — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:16:31 +0000

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.

By: bikeboy

bikeboy — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:21:20 +0000

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.)

By: boisecynic

boisecynic — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:50:39 +0000

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.

By: Cyclops

Cyclops — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:15:09 +0000

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.

By: Roberto

Roberto — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:47:15 +0000

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.

By: LJ

LJ — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:03:37 +0000

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!

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:31:15 +0000

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.

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:46:14 +0000

I for one would agree with this. Clean the clutter! Looks like trailer trash around here!