Keep political signs off Main Street, planning commission urged

Danny Edwards and Dennis Owens of Walhalla are seasoned politicians, but they would like to limit or forbid candidate signs on Main Street. Mayor Edwards went as far last night as declaring he would like a prohibition on all political signs on Main Street from one end of the grass median, thru the core business area, to the other end of the grass median. The city planning commission took comment on what changes, if any, should be made to the current city ordinance that applies to political signs. There appeared to be consensus in the meeting room that such signs should have no place in the downtown section where the city is engaged in re-vitalization. The prohibition would have no effect on owners of private property who care to allow political signs. There appears to be agreement that there’s plenty of room elsewhere in the city for politicians to post signs, including the Broad Street thoroughfares that parallel the Main Street. Councilman Dennis Owens started the dialogue last night, recommending signs be limited on Main Street at least until after the third weekend in October—the weekend of Oktoberfest, which is the city’s largest draw of visitors. The planning commissioners found themselves mulling a lot of considerations, such as a politician’s right to advertise his campaign and whether signs should be restricted to one every 25 feet so that a politician cannot string signs together.