I'm forwarding this from Dan Berg. He received an official-looking notice to remove his lawn sign two days ago, as I did. According to his research, the notice is neither official nor accurate.
Heather Martens Kingfield.
Dan writes:
Two years ago, many of us kept our Wellstone signs displayed long after the election as a sign of solidarity and grief. After a month or six weeks, someone left a note in our door asking us to take our sign down, so that they (and we) could all savor those "last beautiful days of autumn" without the distraction of partisan politics. It appeared to be an authentic, handwritten message, good natured in tone, but signed anonymously by "A neighbor." Later we found out that many people had received the same note, and concluded that it was someone's personal campaign to expunge our neighborhood of this expression of loss.
Today I found a printed yellow note in my door, apparently from the Minneapolis Inspections Department, pointing out that the Minneapolis sign ordinance (chapter 543) requires that all campaign yard signs be removed within ten days following an election. It also said that property owners are subject to a fine of up to $100 for disregarding this ordinance. It thanked me for my cooperation, and directed questions to the Minneapolis city inspections office.
The note looked credible, but I couldn't believe that City workers are so underemployed that they could be sent door to door with notes urging compliance with a law that seems so petty. I directed my question to the inspections office, as instructed.
Sure enough, the City had nothing to do with it. In fact, there is no Minneapolis sign ordinance addressing this issue. There is a State statute that some communities adopt but Minneapolis has not, and the chief of inspections assured me that they have higher priorities than ticketing people for their lawn ornaments. There is also no threat of a $100 fine.
Seems our "neighbor" has changed tactics and struck again. Call me a cynic, but I think the strategy is aimed selectively at us liberals.
As Paul Wellstone says, "Stand up! Keep fighting!"
I've just moved my Kerry/Edwards sign to a slightly more prominent spot, and I urge you to do the same.
Dan Berg
Lynnhurst
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