Press-Republican

Local News

Related Photos

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
November 19, 2009

Posting political signs: Does it help?

By ALVIN REINER

ELIZABETHTOWN — This past election, North Country residents were bombarded with political proclamations.

The campaign paraphernalia included recorded phone messages, political ads on radio and television, mailings and literally thousands of signs sprouting up along roadsides.

That came along with the usual meet-the-candidate nights, forums and debates.

Though the "robo calls" seemed to irritate people the most, the sight of political signs lining the roadways offended plenty of people, too.

So the question is: Do signs help?

SKIPPING SIGNS
While it would take a major exit poll to determine the effectiveness of the signs, several local candidates who posted signs lost by large amounts to opponents who decided not to have their names emblazoned along the roadways.

Those not posting tended to be incumbents.

In Elizabethtown, three of the four candidates for Town Council seats — incumbents Joe Martin and Kenneth Fenimore, as well as Angel Marvin — chose not to erect signs.

On Election Day, they all outpolled Margaret Bartley, the one candidate who had erected signs.

Several Essex County supervisors running for re-election chose not to use signs. Among them was Daniel Connell of Westport, who handily defeated two opponents who posted signs throughout the town.

"I did not put up signs because it was a local town election," Connell said recently. "I've been in office for 10 years as a councilman and supervisor. I did go door to door to talk to people. I got to about 80 percent of the registered voters.

"I believe people liked the opportunity to talk to me, and they had questions (that) I could directly answer. This gave me a better idea of what the people wanted."

Willsboro Supervisor Lori Lincoln-Spooner also decided not to utilize signs, though in her last election, the local Republican Party had printed some with her name.

"I had a call from a local resident who said no one knew I was running and urged me to put up signs," she said of this year's re-election bid.

"I decided not to have signs, as I feel they are very messy, and I felt uncomfortable asking landowners to post them."

Lincoln-Spooner decided to donate what the sign cost would have been to three local churches.

Apparently, her record was good enough, as she easily won re-election.

NAME RECOGNITION
There are more political signs on the road sides these days than in the past, according to Dr. Tom Konda of Plattsburgh State's Political Science Department. He attributes this primarily to the fact that they have become cheaper to produce, due to computerization and materials such as foam board.

"I believe they are good for name recognition," Konda said. "It's the easiest way to get your name out there. People drive down the highways and see the signs. In many races around here, many voters don't know who the incumbent is, let alone the challenger."

As for colors, some studies have shown that blue may be the best color, as it is perceived as a "solid citizen," while red is "daring" and green concerns the environment, Konda said.

He pointed out that when a candidate has a long last name, the first name is used more, as in the case of Dierdre "Dede" Scozzafava.

Konda suggested that signs posted in front yards "might be taken more seriously, as they show real support," rather than those shoved in the ground in intersections or long stretches of highways.

STATE RULES
Each region for the New York State Department of Transportation seems to have its slight variation on rules for political signage. Political signs are categorized as temporary signs and may remain in the state's right-of-way up to three days after the event has occurred.

But DOT says the signs:

•  Can't be placed on the right-of-way of any controlled-access or expressway-type road.

•  Should not present any operational problems for workers to maintain the roadside, such as mowing.

•  Should not cause a sight-distance problem or interfere with safe traffic movement in any area, including intersections.

•  Should not be placed in a median or traffic island-type area where they are a distraction.

If temporary signs of any kind are placed in any of these areas and cause problems, DOT can remove them.

LOCAL ORDINANCES
Many towns have their own rules governing political signs.

The Town of Plattsburgh is similar to most others in requiring that signs be erected no longer than 45 days before the election and be removed within three days after.

"We try to give them until the following Monday after the election to remove the signs," Town of Plattsburgh Code Enforcement Officer Steve Imhoff said. "It seems that 98 percent of the signs are removed right away."

He said that removal of signs in the front yard of a residence is up to the property owners.

Elizabethtown Supervisor Noel Merrihew said his town's policy is basically governed by "loose language. Generally, the public right-of-way is a no man's land."

Signs are not permitted on town property, such as parks and the golf course. However, there was a proliferation of them on the corner of the town-owned Cobble Hill Golf Course.

"It (the sign placements) got way out of hand," Merrihew said about that site, as well as a cluster placed at the bottom of the hill that intersects routes 9 and 9N.

E-mail Alvin Reiner at: rondackrambler@yahoo.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News

Recent Article Comments
Albany Round-up

Photo of the Day
Strange News
Videos: Editor Picks
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion' 5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La. Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal $25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart