Signing Off

Republican Southampton Town Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara apparently had the rug pulled out from under her last week when her colleagues on the board refused to entertain a motion to schedule a public hearing on legislation she had drawn up to put limits on the use of campaign yard signs on both public and private property. It was a surprise to McNamara after the four other council members — all Democrats — had seemed to be on board with the legislation only days earlier.

It’s disappointing that the board members, who all claimed a change of heart, wouldn’t even entertain letting the public weigh in on the proposal, in what one can only imagine would have been an animated public hearing.

Every election season, the town is plagued by an inundation of the campaign signs dotting roadways and front lawns. And the day after the election, there is always a public outcry to candidates — winners and losers alike — to get out and remove the now unwanted signs.

McNamara’s goals were laudable, to limit the use of public property for the display of such signs and put a time limit on their use on private property. She argued that villages within the town have successfully imposed limitations on the use of campaign signs and do a good job of removing them from public property. But in the unincorporated areas of the town, the signs are posted with abandon — in some cases, like one intersection in East Quogue, creating traffic hazards. She just wants to level the playing field, making sure the same rules apply to everyone, inside or outside the villages.

But it’s also a dicey proposition. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that campaign signs are protected speech, so any proposed limits or controls by the town could be dicey — and open to constitutional challenges. So any legislation would have to be thoroughly vetted by the town’s attorneys.

McNamara shouldn’t give up the fight. Mimicking successful regulations employed by the villages in the town seems like a reasonable goal, and she should lobby the other board members to see the signs and find a compromise that would work for everyone — and let the public have a say as well.