Ross commissioners feel sign ordinance purposefully ignored
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There were several items on the agenda for the Oct. 17 board of commissioners meeting in Ross, including transfers of an alcohol license and the renaming of Sangree Park to Bruno Sammartino Park, but temporary political signs specifically caught the attention of board president Dan DeMarco.
During his president’s report, the success of the recent Community Day was celebrated by DeMarco, thanking the community and those who involved in planning the day for their efforts, making note that he “was the first to be dunked” in the dunk tank that was part of the day’s festivities.
DeMarco then switched gears and voiced his concerns regarding the political signs that have sprung up throughout the township in places that have already been declared ineligible.
Ordinance No. 2429 was amended in June 2019, prohibiting the placement of any temporary political signs “within three feet of a public Cartway, in the median of any public Cartway, or in any area between traffic lanes,” including medians.
The ordinance defines a Cartway as “portions of the street, drive or alley that is available for vehicular traffic, including the curb, berm or shoulder thereof.”
“We simply decided no political signs in any right-of-ways, along any public streets, except if they are on private property with the owner’s permission,” DeMarco said. “The problem we are having and have had since we (approved the ordinance) is the candidates are just not abiding by the ordinance. The signs are popping up in right of ways, they are popping up on county islands and they are popping up on roadsides.”
DeMarco said he is sure the signs are not in their proper place.
“I can tell you that there are many signs out there that are along roadways that are there without permission of any property owner,” he said. “None of these candidates can tell me that the majority of their signs are on private property with the permission of the property owner.”
The ordinance allows the township to remove and dispose of any signs that violate the guidelines. It also stipulates that violators can go in front of a judge and be fined $300.
“We are trying to control a situation where we end up, after the election, having signs sitting there into the winter and spring, laying on the ground and no one ever picks them up,” DeMarco said.
Public works have and will continue to pick up signs and dispose of them if they are placed somewhere that is not permitted.
“Especially these local candidates are a real disappointment. They know, and they’ve known about this ordinance. There was a lot of discussion and coverage by the local media,” DeMarco said. “To me it’s ignorance. They are ignoring the ordinance when they know that the ordinance exists, and they know the purpose of the ordinance, but they still do it.”