A proposal from county lawmakers to limit the lifespan of campaign signs on front lawns is drawing the ire of political newcomers and residents who say the bill infringes on free speech.
Two Baltimore County Council members are sponsoring a bill that would prohibit political signs on private property until 45 days prior to a primary election. They say the bill is consistent with other local laws that limit the size of campaign and other temporary signs.
“There is a traffic safety issue and some are eyesores,” said Council Member Kevin Kamenetz, D-District 2. “When you agree to become a candidate, you agree to limit your rights.”
A public comment session on the bill is scheduled at next week’s work session, but several residents have already spoken out against the proposal. Bill Bralove, president of the Randallstown and Owings Mills RENEW group, took issue with the timing of the bill, which comes just months before elections.
He and Noel Levy, a Democratic candidate for the House of Delegates in the Pikesville area, said the bill only helps political incumbents. Levy said the law would give newcomers like himself, who rely on time to establish name recognition before voters head to the polls, an unfair disadvantage.
“I think it’s unconstitutional and I think it’s un-American,” Levy said. “If you want to put a sign in your yard, put a sign in your yard.”
Kamenetz pointed to Levy’s V-shaped signs, which he says already violate county code, as examples of what he hopes to ban. Another political candidate has used a mobile home to string a campaign banner, he said. The councilman originally proposed a 30-day limit to pre-election signs, but amended it to match state law.
Signs and advertisements are already illegal in the public right-of-way. Kamenetz has proposed two other sign-related bills, one allowing citizens to remove advertisements on public property under certain conditions and another imposing a $500 fine on anyone who posts an illegal sign.
Those bills will be discussed at the council’s work session April 20.
