Drive through Tucson during election season and it's hard to ignore what has happened to our public roads: political signs have multiplied into sprawling clusters.
Tucson’s sign code says that signs generally are not permitted on public streets. Yet Arizona law places limits on the City’s ability to remove qualifying political signs. Whatever the legal rationale, the result is an ugly mess.
The signs offer campaign messages, and the cumulative effect is a visual blight. Campaigns are participating in an arms race because they are afraid that if they don’t blanket intersections their opponents will?
There is also a legitimate safety question. Adding clusters of brightly colored signs at intersections creates additional visual clutter and unnecessary distraction.
I hope those candidates who run for public office and participate in this ugly practice address the conflict between local ordinances and state law.
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The bottom line is we need a state law that strikes a balance between political campaigning, public safety and the quality of our community.
Kyle Vance
Northeast side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
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