St. Albert city council seems prepared to give democracy a swift kick in the gut after expressing interest in eliminating small election signs along St. Albert Trail during the upcoming municipal campaign.
In a 4-3 vote on Tuesday, council directed city administration to draw up the necessary bylaw changes and bring them back to council for a final decision in the coming weeks.
Coun. Roger Lemieux brought forward the change, arguing that the small, wire-mounted plastic signs that proliferate at election time are unsightly, compete with businesses, are an environmental concern and are too dangerous to erect and maintain along a busy roadway.
His solution, which a slim majority of council supported, is to require that signs along the trail be at least four feet wide by four feet tall. This will reduce clutter along the trail as these larger signs are less commonly used due to their higher cost, Lemieux argued.
Lemieux’s arguments are thin justification for restricting democratic expression.
This move could very well lead to an explosion of larger signs along the trail, increasing clutter and competition with area businesses. If council is really concerned about the small, non-biodegradable plastic signs taking up landfill space, why not ban their use altogether in favour of some more eco-friendly option?
With its focus on election signs, council is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t really exist. Yes, as a number of councillors mentioned on Tuesday, they get many complaints from residents about the small, flappy signs. But are they a real problem or an imagined one?
Municipal elections, previously held every three years, are now set to happen every four years. And election signs can only be up for 28 days. Surely, for the sake of democracy, the citizens of St. Albert can endure the horror of small signs along the trail for this brief period.
In many places around the world, people are risking torture and death for a chance at the democratic rights we enjoy here and we’re complaining about too many signs? It’s time for a bit of perspective.
As Coun. Wes Brodhead pointed out on Tuesday, these small and inexpensive election signs are a mechanism for candidates with a small budget to achieve some all important name recognition in their quest to compete for a spot on council.
It’s well known that incumbent candidates hold an advantage over new candidates because of the name recognition factor. So now we have our established council pursuing a policy that will make it more difficult for upstart candidates to unseat them.
Let’s hope the majority of councillors reconsider this ill-advised direction and vote down the bylaw change when they get the opportunity.
