WESTFIELD – The Planning Board will conduct a public hearing tomorrow night to hear details of a change to the zoning codes regulating the erection of temporary signs.
The zoning change is being proposed by At-large City Councilor Dan Allie. The City Council conducted its hearing on the proposed zoning amendment at its July 2 session.
Allie, at the council’s hearing, said the current temporary sign ordinance “discriminates against new candidates and favors incumbents.
“The temporary sign ordinance does not define events and it prevents the exercise of free speech,” Allie said. “Candidates who submit nomination papers, with the correct 50 signatures certified (by the City Clerk) should be allowed to erect signs.”
The current ordinance limits the erection of temporary signs to “no more than two (2) months prior to the event” and that temporary signs “shall not be displayed more than four (4) months in any calendar year.”
Allie said that “yard signs have only one purpose, name recognition. A new candidate needs to achieve 70 percent name recognition by the end of June (prior to a preliminary or general election). Westfield’s sign ordinance prohibits this from happening, without ever explicitly putting it into writing.”
Allie requested his fellow councilors to take swift action to amend the ordinance and inserting language that would allow the erection of yard campaign signs without having to obtain a permit.
“There is nothing fair or American about restricting our freedom of political expression, property rights or a person’s ability to run for public office,” Allie said.
Ward 1 Councilor Christopher Keefe said the City Council cannot act on the proposed zoning ordinance amendment until the Planning Board conducts its hearing and provided the City Council with its recommendation. The council is currently on summer recess and is not slated to meet until Aug. 20.
Allie conceded that the zoning amendment, if approved, would not be in place for the upcoming municipal election this fall, but would apply to all future election.
At-large Councilor Cindy Harris expressed reservation of allowing campaign signs to be erected for more than the two months in the current ordinance.
“People would have to endure political signs on lawns for six months,” Harris said.
No members of the public in attendance at the July 2 council session spoke either in favor or in opposition to the proposed amendment. Council President Brian Sullivan requested a motion to continue the public hearing “until the Planning Board gives us a recommendation.”
