A LETTER TO THE PAPER---THE RECURRING TOPIC OF LAWN SIGNS

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A LETTER TO THE PAPER---THE RECURRING TOPIC OF LAWN SIGNS

To the Editor:

Lawn signs are a recurring topic in Croton. There are periodic proposals to restrict the timeframe when political signs may be displayed, but such laws would run into constitutional problems.

However, the location of election signs may be regulated under certain circumstances. Signs in the village right-of-way used to be an issue until the Board of Trustees passed a law prohibiting such signs. For some years this has been rigidly enforced.

This year is different. Almost six months prior to the general election, signs are appearing for a candidate running for election in November and some of them are in the right-of-way.

I don’t have an objection in principle to election signs going up six months in advance, nor to candidate signs in the right-of-way. I do have an objection to selective code enforcement.

If the political party with a majority of Trustees wishes to place their candidate signs in the right-of-way they are free to change the village law. Until that time, village manager Healy should be enforcing the law that has been enforced against minority party candidates.

I am wary of laws restricting political speech— especially regarding elections. But our Board of Trustees has chosen to restrict electioneering and selective enforcement is neither fair nor is it constitutionally permissible.

—Paul Steinberg, Croton-on-Hudson