Signs are becoming
a costly venture

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

State Rep. Mike McGeehan joked that Roosevelt Boulevard had turned into "Knox Highway" and "Brady Boulevard" in the time leading up to the May 15 primary election.
McGeehan was disturbed that candidates for mayor, City Council, judgeships and other offices had placed countless campaign signs along the Boulevard.
The signs, he said, distract drivers and give visitors a bad impression. Moreover, they’re illegal, since they are on state property.
"This is vandalism, pure and simple, to state property," McGeehan said.
Last week, McGeehan (D-173rd dist.) and Rep. George Kenney (R-170th dist.) held a news conference in front of dozens of signs at Southampton Road and Roosevelt Boulevard in the Far Northeast to announce legislation that would impose a $25 fine for each sign illegally displayed on state property.
Republican mayoral candidate Al Taubenberger stopped by to endorse the measure, adding that he believes it can pass because of its bipartisan support.
Taubenberger thinks the signs can be dangerous for motorists when landscapers cut the grass, since the mower blades can send pieces of metal flying through the air.
The candidate vowed to respect state property during his own campaign, even if the fine is not in place.
"There will be no ‘Taubenberger for Mayor’ signs on the Boulevard," he promised.
McGeehan would like to see other candidates follow Taubenberger’s lead.
"I hope the Democratic nominee makes the same pledge," he said of Michael Nutter.
House Bill 1519 has been assigned to the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, which includes McGeehan. It prohibits the placement of signs on state roads, bridges and buildings in Philadelphia.
Collected fines will be transferred to the office of the state treasurer for deposit in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ TreeVitalize Fund, which pays for tree plantings.
If the bill passes the House of Representatives and Senate and is signed by the governor, it would take effect in 60 days, possibly in time for the general election in November.
McGeehan acknowledges that the measure, if passed, could lead to political dirty tricks by a candidate who places an opponent’s campaign sign on the Boulevard to embarrass him as a lawbreaker. But he believes those tricksters would be identified.
While the state is talking about fining violators, an existing law allows the city to do the same thing, according to Fairmount Park Commission chief of staff Barry Bessler. That’s because of a century-old ordinance that gives the park commission management and operational control of the Boulevard.
However, in recent years, maintenance of the grass medians has been handled by the state.
Nonetheless, Bessler agrees with the lawmakers that the signs can be an impediment to pedestrians, motorists and landscapers and that they harm the aesthetics of the 13-mile highway.
The signs are placed on the medians "without our consent," he said. The park commission does not take down signs because its staff has many other duties to perform. In addition, the commission has been accused of playing favorites when it takes down signs. And even when the signs are removed by landscapers, candidates erect them again right away.
If the state passes the legislation and can find a way to enforce it, Bessler said the park commission would be pleased.
During the recently completed primary campaign, unsuccessful Democratic mayoral candidates Tom Knox and Bob Brady probably had more signs on the Boulevard than any other candidate, but they were not alone. Lesser-known candidates tried to get voters to remember their names and button numbers when they went to the polls last month.
A month after the election, the signs of both winners and losers still remain on the Boulevard and at Interstate 95 entrance and exit ramps, though landscapers are trashing them when they cut the grass.
"Hundreds of these are still up. Hundreds," McGeehan said.
He and Kenney aren’t just targeting their fellow politicians. At the news conference, they stood in front of signs promoting boxing matches, Kmart sales and junk-car purchases.
Politicians, though, are the biggest violators, at least in the weeks leading up to an election.
McGeehan vows zero tolerance, adding that it’s "not acceptable" to put any signs in a public place.
The lawmaker advises candidates to knock on doors to meet voters rather than erect a sign on public property. A better way to show a candidate’s popularity, he believes, is to get supporters to put signs on their lawns.
Kenney, whose district includes a couple of communities in eastern Montgomery County, also endorses the lawn-sign concept but notes that there’s an ordinance in Rockledge that restricts the time borough residents can place signs on their own lawns.
Kenney said, in general, suburban communities don’t see the abundance of campaign signs on public ground.
"They don’t tolerate this," he said.
Kenney said the Boulevard is a gateway to Philadelphia for southbound motorists and to the Northeast for northbound drivers. The area’s image suffers, in his opinion, by the slew of signs.
Longtime incumbents, well-known challengers and businesses will be identified and fined if the bill becomes law.
"We’re going to call them on it," Kenney said. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com