It’s election time again. Not that voters really have any choices in our community thanks to our Board of (S)Elections and the obsolete Dayton City Charter which put the power of access to the ballot into the hands of unelected political party pogues.

When I run for office, all my signs go on private property, with permission of the property owner, as is required by law.

Dean Lovelace, Matt Joseph and the two challengers, Mark Manovich and William Pace all are engaged in placing their signs in the public right of way. I witnessed Russ Joseph (Matt’s brother and a County Employee) placing Joseph signs near the OH4 on ramp off Valley Street the other day- in violation of the law. I even called out to him- “you know you are breaking the law”- and he answered he knew.

Here is from the city website:

When the people who make the law- break the law...

Illegal Signs

The City of Dayton is stepping up efforts to remove illegal temporary signs on public property that adversely affect the appearance of streetscapes, neighborhoods and business districts throughout the city.To halt the proliferation of illegal signs, the City of Dayton Street Maintenance crews will remove and dispose of temporary signs located within the public Right of Way, which includes tree lawns throughout the city. Sign removal will occur during the crews’ routine work assignments in the neighborhoods. Examples of illegal temporary signs include real estate signs, placards, and various advertisements placed on utility poles or in the public Right of Way.These kinds of signs are an unsightly blemish on the appearance of our neighborhoods and business districts. The quantity and variety of signs that are cropping up on street corners and along roadways are a distraction, and they can pose a visual barrier to motorists. We must discourage this practice for the sake of our neighborhoods.

via Illegal Signs.

Considering we just passed an ordinance that makes it illegal for the homeless to hold a sign (after we already required them to get a permit to beg) and have had such great success at moving them off our corners, I believe the same standard should be applied to political candidates. At $250 per sign or 30 days in jail for each sign, we’d be out of debt and idiot candidate free in no time, since the sentences would have them all incarcerated for at least 4 years.

Of course, the panhandling law didn’t solve the problem for the region- it just moved it around. Here is a picture of a panhandler holding a sign on the 675 off ramp to Col .Glenn next to Dave Dennis Chrysler the other night.

I hate to tie yet another post back to the #occupy movement, but this is yet another example of politicians holding themselves to a different standard than their constituents.

I ask all of you to join me in the lawful cleanup of all political signs in Dayton from public right of ways- center median strips, vacant lots, intersection corners not on private property. I ask the City of Dayton public works department to do their jobs- and the police department to fine and arrest the candidates for breaking the law.

Political signs are the lowest form of political speech known to man- saying nothing. If having signs out is the only way the voters know you- you don’t belong in office anyway.

It’s time to have real debates, instant runoff voting, deliver equal space in an honest voter’s guide to every voter and move to vote by mail. In the meantime- let’s start by applying their own laws to their campaigns.