Questions Answered I Was Never Asked: What are your Feelings on the Gwinnett Sign Ordinance?

I had planned on waiting til closer to the election til I addressed this question asked during the debates but an incident occurred last night that made me feel it was important to address it now. I was on my way to a doctor's appointment this morning when I noticed an opponent of mine had placed signs everywhere, almost all in violation of the sign laws that all of us, citizens and candidates alike, must abide by. There were signs in the right of way, signs on the lawns of foreclosed properties, signs in the middle of front lawns of residents who told me no permission was given and they wish them to be removed, and even a sign right in the median (photos are available of these upon request).

This is a big deal for several reasons. Firstly, signs are ugly and having them pervade the Peachtree Corners Landscape is a detriment to bringing business and residents to our town. Secondly, signs placed in some of these areas are dangerous as they distract drivers and can block visibility at turns, which is why they are not allowed in these areas to begin with. Thirdly, there is a blatant violation of property rights, when someone feels they can just utlizie your property without your permission for their benefit.

But, in my eyes, worst violation is that we are running to uphold the laws of Peachtree Corners in certain areas, with code enforcement being much of what we are supposed to do. If someone, whom I know was in the same meetings I was and received the same instructions on where signs can and cannot go, ignores those laws to their benefit, I question as a resident how they would govern. I am further disappointed in this as I know several of the people on their campaign, and these were the people most vocal when it was THEIR opponents placing signs in violation of the ordinances during the city campaign, yet just three weeks before the election, they are brazenly violating these laws far more than those they pointed the finger at ever did. Its very diappointing to see some people already acting with a "do as I say, not as I do" mentality before we even have elected officials and makes me fearful what will happen once people actually have power.

This brings me back to my initial points on the sign ordinance. The Gwinnett sign ordinance is, in my opinion, by and large, fine. Its a little long for my liking at 31 pages but its very specific on what can and can't be done. However, one area, in my opinion that it doesn't address well enough is political signs. As I mentioned before, political signs are ugly and therefore detrimental to property values, and, in some cases, can be dangerous. However, as a candidate running on the idea of "leaving you alone", I think a ban on them in town would infringe on your property and free speech rights.

My compromise suggestion, and something I would propose for Peachtree Corners if I am elected, is what I call my "14-14 Sign Ordinance". Put simply, this means that any political signs put out more than 14 days before the election must be at least 14 feet from your property lines. I think this balances property owners' ability to vocalize their support for a candidate, party, or issue without creating an eyesore or a disturbance in town by putting an abundance of signs up abutting the right of way or a neighbor's property. And for those citizens that really want to express themselves early and often, they are welcome to, under this proposal, as they can put signs all around the center of their property as early as they want (subject to HOA rules, of course).In my opinion, both as a candidate and a resident, 14 days is plenty of time to make voters aware of your message, limits the amount of time for a sign free for all to right before the election, and stops our city from looking like a community bulletin board.

While I personally would love something even more restrictive than this, I think this is a great starting point to both limit the amount of signs in town, make sure they are not endangering residents or hurting their property values, but still respecting the first amendment and property rights of our citizens. I will introduce this if I am elected and also promise that I will abide by this proposal in any new signs I put out. I call for other candidates, including my opponents, to both endorse this or a similar proposal (as I know from conversations, it has a great deal of popular support), and to voluntarily abide by it as well in all the new signs you put out. And I ask those who are already in violation, not just of this proposed new law, but of existing laws which you are running to uphold, to get into and continue compliance with them as well.

Scott Ehrlich

Candidate, Peachtree Corners City Council

Post 3

770-559-0702

scott@choosescott.com

www.choosescott.com