Signs, Signs, Everywhere There's Signs...

So, with the upcoming May 8th High School Bond Proposal Election looming, it's time once again for the Lawn Sign Wars. All over Bloomfield Township/Hills, parts of West Bloomfield, a piece of Troy and a sliver of Orchard Lake Village, "YES" (and the occasional "NO") signs are popping up all over the place.

Naturally, this inevitably leads to the he said/she said accusations: "You stole our signs!" "YOU stole OUR signs!" "We would never do such a thing! You probably took your own signs and are trying to pin the blame on us!" (etc, etc). Massive headaches for the local police ensue as theft claims roll in--some legitimate, some perhaps not so legitimate.

It also will no doubt cause headaches for the local ordinance enforcement officers--this sign is too close to the street, that one is blocking a traffic sign, and so on.

I was opposed to the previous plan (though I didn't feel strongly enough about it to warrant a "No" sign). This time, with the new plan put together by a new Superintendent and a new school board, I've become a strong supporter of voting YES on May 8th. As such, I have YES signs myself. Of course, I made sure that mine are fully compliant--well outside of the right-of-way and so forth.

In many ways the whole thing seems kind of silly. Signs don't vote, and I don't know of any studies which have proven whether or not "winning" the sign wars has any significant impact on the outcome of an election.

However, they do serve an important function in terms of spreading awareness (it's ludicrous for the "No" supporters to keep claiming that the "Yes" group wants a "stealth" election when the “Yes” supporters are making such a concentrated effort to spread the word about the MAY 8th date), and the signs help generate a conversation among neighbors about the topic and why the homeowners are supporting (or opposing) the issue.

In addition, it's one of the best examples of freedom of speech in action: Everyone should feel free and comfortable expressing their views on the topics of the day without fear of retribution. That doesn't mean you have to be obnoxious about it (which is why there are limits on the size of signs--no one wants a billboard next door), but it's still a great example of democracy.

Lawn sign theft, on the other hand, is one of the worst examples of human nature. It's petty, vindictive, wasteful and utterly pointless.

As I said in the comments section for someone else's post, I've never understood the logic behind stealing/damaging yard signs, which happens in every election regardless of the candidate or issue. Stealing someone's sign isn't going to cause them to change their vote; all it's gonna do is irritate them and make them redouble their efforts, by donating more money, stuffing more envelopes or whatever.

Of course, there seem to be about 5x more YES signs this time around than NO signs (and with good reason: the new BHSD administration finally got it right this time, and people are recognizing this), which means, I would imagine, that they're 5x more likely to be stolen...

As One Bloomfield United states on their website:

• Signs should be placed at least 15 feet back, in the homeowner's property, not in the easement.

• Regardless of the actual distance from the road, make sure that you're not near utility poles, road signs, drainage ditches, etc.

• Signs should be removed within 3 days after the election date (i.e., no later than May 11th)

• It is illegal to steal lawn signs! If you witness someone stealing or damaging your sign, report it to the police (and to us, so we can replace it).

The reality is that lawn sign thieves are rarely caught and even more rarely prosecuted.

But stealing lawn signs is still a jerk move.