Councillors want election signs banned from road right-of-ways
By Lethbridge Herald on March 21, 2023.
Al Beeber
Lethbridge Herald
A motion to be put forward in front of Lethbridge city council today is calling for the prohibition of election sign installed on public road right-of-ways.
The motion will be put forward by councillors Belinda Crowson and Jeff Carlson and asks council to direct administration to amend the City’s Administrative Election Sign Guidelines effective immediately.
Council meets today at 1:30 in chambers at City Hall.
The motion says in part that the number of signs “creates visual clutter and unsafe distractions along the public road right-of-way” and notes in the last municipal election hundreds were illegally placed and confiscated which required an additional full-time employee during the election period to manage collection and distribution of them.
Crowson and Carlson state in their motion that council and the City both received community complaints about the signs. They add that because most are made from corrugated, single-use plastics that aren’t accepted for recycling, the signs are generating additional waste in the landfill.
The motion notes that the City land use bylaw allows for temporary use of signs on private property.
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Sounds like a good way for the existing councilors to keep new candidates from getting the exposure they need. Very sneaky move!!!
Nah. Sounds to me like a good way to stop wasting money and materials on something useless. With social media there’s no need for any of these signs anywhere.
Nah it is all about name recognition. Not everyone has social media or wants it.
If you’re interested in the election you’ll figure out who you’re voting for without having to look at a thousand useless signs along MMD.
Are you going to tell me how I make my decision to vote? I don’t think so.
You make your decision to vote based on signs along a road? Wow you’re really engaging in the process.
Encampments okay though! Maybe you can paint the signs on the side of the tents, because no one will bother them – they’re ‘special’.
Interesting how Medicine Hat went from no signs on public property to allowing it two election ago, and Lethbridge is planning to go from public to private only. You get exposure regardless with public being more wastefull and eye sore.
And if a candidates supporters are mainly renters or live in condos their voices don’t matter? Before 1918 only property owners who were men were allowed to vote.
After watching ctv news tonight I am even more convinced that this restriction shouldn’t pass. I know election signs can be an eyesore but they are necessary to keep lesser known candidates in the public eye.. Hearing councillor Crowson saying it only changes 1% of people’s minds she is to quick to write those people votes off.