As Baltimore County officials celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Adopt-a-Highway program on Monday, some area politicians said the periodic anti-litter effort serves as a year-round election campaign tool.
Among the sponsors on about 1,350 Adopt-a-Highway signs along county and state roadways are at least six Baltimore County delegates and candidates who program organizers said requested streets in their districts.
Agreeing to pick up trash at least four times a year for two years, the delegates said the signs boost name recognition in highly trafficked areas.
“We are getting some exposure, and obviously it helps the campaign, but that?s not the reason we are doing it in the first pace,” said Del. John Cluster, R-District 8, who, with Del. Joseph Boteler, adopted a stretch of Route 43 in Perry Hall.
“It?s something to do for the community.”
Adopt-a-Highway signs are not considered campaign ads because they do not explicitly encourage motorists to vote, said Katie Brown, deputy director of the county?s Board of Elections.
Many campaign fundraising groups sponsor roadways to circumvent the state?s regulations, said County Council Member Kevin Kamenetz, D-District 2.
For Del. Bobby Zirkin, D-District 11, a filthy stretch of road in Owings Mills became a campaign issue when he first ran for office eight years ago.
After hearing residents complain about the debris, he said he decided to act.
“My campaign group decided to adopt it,” he said.
“But I?m continuing to do it as an elected official.”
Zirkin said the print on the signs are too small to draw much attention, but others said the signs offer loopholes to tough campaign and public right-of-way sign laws.
In Baltimore County, candidates can use signs 45 days before an election until seven days after ? and no signs are allowed in the public right-of-way.
Kamenetz said he would like the county to keep track of if and when road sponsors are indeed picking up trash, something Zirkin and Cluster said they do more often than required.
Noel Levy, a candidate for a District 11 seat who has also has adopted a road in his district, said many politicians request roadways in their district that won?t require frequent cleanups.
He cited a commercial stretch of Reisterstown Road, where the business community maintains the streets.
“It’s a free ride for them,” he said. “You?ll find all those fishy spots are already taken.”
