Signs, signs, everywhere signs

The upcoming city council elections in New Brighton have heated up as we approach election day and there are a lot of signs for candidates up and running. Several candidates in the race seem to be pretty well heeled and have signs up all over town, including places where the signs are not supposed to be, which is less than seven feet from the street, per city ordinances.

There are three main north/south thoroughfares in New Brighton; probably the most heavily traveled is Silver Lake Road. When you get to the corner of Silver Lake Road and 5th Street NW, you are greeted with this sign:

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Mary Burg, for those of you keeping score at home, is on the City Council now, in the middle of her 4-year term. She's decided that she wants to be mayor instead. She's been on the council for a number of years now, so she and her supporters should be well aware of the rules. Maybe not. Of course, she's not the only long-time council member who seems confused on the matter:

Char Samuelson has been on the council for years and has also served as a state representative. Apparently her supporters are unclear about established rules as well, or perhaps they don't care very much.

Meanwhile, over on busy Long Lake Road, you get a look at a challenger's sign:

Graeme Allen is a young man in a hurry, who ran unsuccessfully for city council in the last election cycle. This time he has more money and more signs. I will give Allen this much credit -- this sign looks to be at least 2 feet away from the street.

Is it a little petty to bring these things up? I don't think so. I think that following city ordinances would be the bare minimum requirement of anyone who wants to be on the city council, let alone the mayor. One of the things that grates most on citizens is when their elected representatives ignore the laws that they expect others to follow. I would suggest that New Brighton voters understand that tolerance of small infractions is usually a sign that a would-be public servant isn't sufficiently attentive to the requirements of the job.