Jackson Free Press

I wonder how many Jacksonians know that it is unlawful to post signs on utility poles. Are City Council members exempt?

Here is the ordinance:

Sec. 6-1. Placing advertising material on trees, bushes, and other public property.
(a) Prohibited acts. It shall be unlawful for any person to place, hire, or have placed a bulletin, placard, dodger, or any other type of advertising material (which includes political posters) upon any tree, bush, shrubbery, utility pole, traffic sign or street marker or public properties and/or street right-of-way, within the city.
(b) Penalty for violation of section. Any person guilty of violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and may be punished by fine not to exceed $300.00 or imprisonment in jail not more than 90 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(c) Separate offenses. The placing of each poster in contravention of the terms of this section shall constitute a separate offense.
(Code 1971, § 3-1)

I've heard that the reason for not allowing signs on utility poles is that utility workers have difficulty climbing poles covered with nails, tacks and staples, so that makes it a safety issue.

Over the years, I've seen signs posted on utility poles with Kenneth Stokes' name on it. Does he know that the people he hired to put up these signs are putting them on these poles? Has he told them about the ordinance? I think that it would be in Stokes' best interest to have standalone signs (mounted on stakes) that can be placed where the signs will not distract motorists.

For more information on how signs should be displayed, please see Chapter 102 of the Code of Ordinances.

Previous Commentsshow

While I can't stand Stokes, he's hardly the only one doing this. This post would have been better served having left out any names and just stick to the fact that the law is being broken, by everyone including the neighbor's weekly "yard sale".

SourBEAR

Jul 30 2007

No, SourBEAR, he's not the only one, but I think that because of his position, he should set an example for everyone. Maybe if he stops doing it, others will stop.

LatashaWillis

Jul 30 2007

Maybe, but I doubt it. People've been breaking this law long before there was a Kenneth Stokes. With time, as old wooden poles are replaced with metal poles, this won't be an issue. We'll just have to deal with the ground clutter of signage that candidates seemingly forget to remove after an election.

SourBEAR

Jul 30 2007

Correction: candidates and career yard salers.

SourBEAR

Jul 30 2007

Maybe, but I doubt it. People've been breaking this law long before there was a Kenneth Stokes. But does that make it right? With time, as old wooden poles are replaced with metal poles, this won't be an issue. Sure, but how long will it be before they are all replaced?

LatashaWillis

Jul 30 2007

Kinda funny thread . . . no offense but did you just wake up and discover election materials are posted oround our fair city? While there may be a law on the books, but it has never been enforced and it probably would not actually stand up in court in my opinion. And, about the post election leftover signs. They have a week or so to clean them up or they get phone calls. If you still have concerns after the election . . . pick up the phone and call the candidate. Danno

Danno

Aug 1 2007

Blah, it is late at night - sorry if my tone is caustic. Shoulda read twice and posted once. Danno

Danno

Aug 1 2007

Has anyone taken a ride through some of the rural parts of Hinds county. The signs are all over the place. I know it's in the county but I thought everyone has some rules on where political signs can go. It's not just one candidate either, it's all of them. The signs are all and down Clinton-Tinnon, Hwy 22, Pinehaven, and Cynthia Roads. I just with the county would send someone around to pick up signs that are in public right of way and the such.

LakesideRes

Aug 1 2007

Blah, it is late at night - sorry if my tone is caustic. Shoulda read twice and posted once. That's okay, Danno. Since I know you, I won't strangle you. LOL Yes, in all my little 32 years, I've seen sign gardens pop up all over the place during these elections. The candidates get their name out there that way, and since it works, I don't fault them for that. I honestly believe that most of the people the candidates hire aren't aware of the ordinance, and the candidates need to let them know the rules ahead of time. When I canvassed for John Horhn back in 1992 or 1993, he and the others in charge told us where we could and could not leave flyers. If the person wasn't home, we could stick them in the door. Nowhere else. Especially not in mailboxes. The reason I mentioned Stokes is that he has signs up throughout the year saying "Happy Mother's Day" and so on. I think it's nice that he does this, but I just think that he should display them correctly. Just buy some stakes and tell the people where they can put the signs. That's all. The job of a utility worker is already a hazard. Why add to it by adding all these metal projectiles to the poles? Wouldn't that be like climbing a cactus? I say we do what we can for them since they do so much for us. I suggest that the city send letters out to the candidates at the beginning of each campaign to let them know what the rules are. If the city could ever afford the manpower, they could also let them know that any sign that is not in compliance will be removed. Since it costs money to have those signs printed, that would be a good incentive to comply. As far as the average citizen is concerned, that's a horse of a different color. Would an occasional PSA on the radio or TV be enough? I'd hate to see fights started because someone with the city took down a citizen's sign. One suggestion I heard is that if the sign has an address or a phone number on it, the city can use that info to contact the individual, politely tell him/her about the ordinance and make suggestions on where the signs can go. I think that if they enforce the ordinance, they need to treat the community with kid gloves. Otherwise, they'll keep hearing stuff like, "We have a crime problem and raggedy streets, and y'all are worrying me about a @#$% sign????"

LatashaWillis

Aug 1 2007

Has anyone taken a ride through some of the rural parts of Hinds county. The signs are all over the place. I know it's in the county but I thought everyone has some rules on where political signs can go. Good question. Does anyone out there know?

LatashaWillis

Aug 1 2007

Without regard to the ordinance, I can recall a published/aired piece some weeks/months back in which it was declared quite positively that all political posters on city property and rights of way would be removed from those places without delay. Now, granted, there are much bigger issues in their respective campaigns, but anyone doubting the mayor's allegiance to the candidates he's rumored to be supporting for sheriff and D.A. should drive from I-55 to Ridgewood Road on Adkins "Boulevard" and take a close look at whose signs litter the right of way and are even affixed to the bridge there. Likewise, they should notice the signs stuck between cracks in the sidewalk downtown and remember the one that graced the mayor's botanical garden for several weeks. If he didn't support those candidates, you can be sure those signs would have been removed a long time ago by his enforcement personnel.

PSW

Aug 1 2007

Speaking of campaign signs, did you all hear about this: Campaign Sign Laced with Razor Blades

LatashaWillis

Aug 1 2007

Ya, that razorblade thing is bad, made me wonder if he made it up to discredit the candidate though. Is it just me or were the razorblades backwards? I have put signs out before in Houston and I had the impression that the next guy that came out took my signs down and put theirs up . . . so we did the same thing until they called a truce! hah fun times. Danno

Danno

Aug 2 2007

The razor blades looked sharp side out to me. The man said that his son got cut trying to remove the sign. Yikes. I did wonder if the guy could have added the blades himself, but if he is a victim, I don't want to blame the victim. These campaigns can get pretty nasty at times.

LatashaWillis

Aug 2 2007

Up until today I was willing to believe one of the major offendors (Kenneth I. Stokes) was simply the victim of his campaign workers zeal. That changed when he visited my neighborhood today. Some of the neighbors told me he had been through and wanted to know if he visited me. I had not been home but lo and behold what was tacked to the utility pole near my home but TWO Kenneth Stokes campaign signs? Coincidence? I don't think so. Especially since the neighbor next door told me Kenneth was present while they were being stapled to the pole!

The Conductor

Aug 2 2007

Especially since the neighbor next door told me Kenneth was present while they were being stapled to the pole! WHAAAAAT?????!!!!! That's why everyone else thinks it's okay - they see a COUNCILMAN doing it. Lord, help us today. By the way, your neighbor must have been to that community policing class they had recently. (S)he didn't miss a thing. :-)

LatashaWillis

Aug 2 2007