Yard signs a candidate no-no

Political yard signs are popping up across the county—but in Wrightsville Beach, they’re a no-no.
A town ordinance prohibits candidates to display yard signs until the middle of October, 17 days prior to Election Day.
And for Aldermen candidate Walter De Vries, that is a violation of the right to free speech and a hindrance on the candidates’ ability to build name recognition.
So now the Board of Aldermen (BOA) will address that ordinance and consider a change, but it will require a public hearing and approval from the planning board before any action can be made, said town manager Bob Simpson.
By the time all of the necessary processes have been completed, will candidates have any additional time to put up their signs?
“Yes,” Simpson said. The BOA can hold its hearing on Sep. 10 and make a decision afterwards.
“The day of the public hearing they (the BOA) can change it, so on Sep. 11 (the candidates) can run out and put their signs up,” Simpson said. “That’ll give them a full month.”
A change is critical, De Vries said in a letter to Simpson dated Aug. 12, because in small jurisdictions, “yard signs build identity and that becomes critical for challengers and incumbents in any election.”
“There will probably be a discussion about whether or not the town really has the ability to control how long the signs are out,” said alderman and mayoral candidate David Cignotti.
“I’m not a big yard sign advocate,” he said. “I know it sort of gets the candidate’s names out there but I’d like to hear from the public too on how long they actually want those signs out because it gets to be pretty cluttered and to me it can sort of be like yard pollution after a while.”
In a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 18, Cignotti acknowledged another one of De Vries’ concerns: since so many people vote before the Nov. 3 Election Day, by the time candidates have put their signs out, most of the votes have already been cast.
During the 2008 election, an estimated 60 percent of votes were cast before the traditional Election Day in November, said Michelle Mrozkowski, election system specialist with the New Hanover County Board of Elections.
“I’d like to hear what the rest of the board has to say about that,” Cignotti said. “I’m definitely open to whatever they decide. I guess yard signs are one of those necessary evils of a campaign.”
Building name identity shouldn’t be any problem for incumbent Ed Miastkowski, who has spent more than a decade as an alderman.
“The incumbent always has an advantage because he or she has recognition,” said Lee Johnston, a professor in the Department of Public and International Affairs at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. “If I don’t know anything else, I know the candidate’s name,” he said.
But the question arises: will Miastkowski vote to change the ordinance knowing it could help launch a contender?
Brian Freskos