At a budget hearing two weeks ago, the acting commissioner of L&I testified that the department was behind on inspections in a number of areas. Given that the agency is responsible for enforcing health, fire, and safety codes, this seems like a pretty big problem. So why is L&I spending time and resources going after political signs?
Kenyatta Johnson is running for state representative in South Philadelphia and distributed 5,000 signs to supporters throughout the district. Some of these were hung on utility poles and trees, which violates local ordinances. Two weeks ago, the campaign received a letter from L&I ordering Johnson to remove the signs or face a financial penalty. Johnson tried to mount a legal challenge to the ordinance in federal court on First Amendment grounds but was unsuccessful.
These signs absolutely can be an eyesore and political campaigns should not hang things illegally. However, I can't help but wonder why L&I is spending time and resources going after political signs when there are so many other areas that the agency seems unable to tackle. I'd rather have L&I inspect buildings, bridges, and other parts of Philadelphia's aging infrastructure. As for signs, I'd like to see the agency target some of the commercial signs-- for everything from real estate to car alarms-- that are hung in neighborhoods across the city. Going after political signs, particularly during a hot election season, does not seem like a good use of L&I's limited resources.
Link: Signs of the (political) times: Fight to keep posters on poles [Daily News]
Also: L&I: Too Much with Too Little? [It's Our Money]