MOULTRIE —
Political signs that have popped up in Moultrie like mushrooms after a rain should begin disappearing as quickly as they appeared, a city official said.
Six candidates are running in the special election Tuesday to fill the seat of state Sen. John Bulloch, who resigned in early December. With a short time for campaigning and getting their names out, some of the candidates aggressively placed signs in Moultrie and on main highways.
“Sometimes you see five or six right in a row” on city rights of way, said David Dennis, the city’s code officer. “We haven’t had time to work signs. They (roadways) are loaded down bad.”
One was placed on the right of way at the Moultrie Municipal Building for more than a week but has been removed.
Dennis said that he will remove the rest of illegally placed signs in a short period of time.
City codes prohibit placing signs — political or other otherwise, such as advertising — on public property.
“I hope in a couple of days you won’t see them,” he said. “We’ll pick them up if they’re on the right of way. We do this all the time, it’s not just political signs.”
Normally his office receives complaints when signs are placed in prohibited areas, but has not received any complaints about the plethora of political signs.
John Peters, code enforcement officer for Colquitt County, said that the county does not remove the signs that are on its rights of way unless they are placed where they could block the view of drivers, such as at intersections. He said he expects that candidates will pick up the signs shortly after the election.
If there is a potential hazardous placing of a sign on state roadways then the county will notify the Georgia Department of Transportation, Peters said.
Most of the political signs seem to be on state roadways because those routes have more traffic and thus will be seen by more potential voters, Peters said.
“I’ve seen very few on county right of ways,” he said.
Local News
Related Photos
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Campaign signs for state senate candidates, from left, Dean Burke, Jeff Bivins and Mike Keown occupy a spot on the corner of First Street and Fifth Avenue Northeast. Signs like these, if they're placed in the right-of-way, have become targets for city officials. Kevin C. Hall
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