Signs of Continued Corruption?

What’s Wrong With This Picture?

This is a sign of the times, advertising that offends our mayor; the product is meant to foil detection at the automated enforcement sites, also known as photo red light and speed detection intersections and mobile photo radars. However, it also is defying efforts of the mayor to clean up the streets.

Recently, Mayor Martin Chávez held one of those “Dog and Pony show” press conferences with his department head and staff along with several city pickup trucks filled with signs collected from medians around town.

Chávez went on to say that the people who the signs were advertising for were going to receive citations with $100 fines attached for displaying them illegally.

He allowed for the possibility that yard sale signs would not be prosecuted as long the homeowner went and collected the sign at the end of the sale.

It was all dutifully recorded by government access television GOV TV cable channel 16.

Now how could anybody fault the mayor’s efforts to clean up our streets?

So what’s wrong with this picture?

This is Diane Dorn-Jones, seen here when she was assistant chief administrative officer, working for Chávez in 2004, just before she stepped down to mount a run for city council from district three.

This is Dorn-Jones’ political campaign sign at the corner of Broadway Blvd. S.E. and Avenida Cesar Chavez S.E., seen last week.

The city ordinance speaks to the issue:
ARTICLE 16: ZONING CODE
DEFINITIONS

SIGN, SPECIAL POLITICAL.
A sign advocating a candidate or ballot measure for a specific election, which sign is allowed temporarily near the times of elections in addition to the permitted regular sign locations which can be used for political messages.

§ 14-16-3-5 GENERAL SIGN REGULATIONS.

(B) Regulations Applicable to Signs in All Zones.

(3) Special Political Signs.
Special political signs shall be permitted up to a total area of six square feet on each premises in a residential zone and up to 32 square feet for each sign in a nonresidential zone. Special political signs may be erected no earlier than 60 days prior to the election to which the sign pertains; they shall be removed within ten days after that election or after the termination of the candidacy, whichever occurs first.

So why is one of Chávez’ former top aides’ campaign sign not prominently displayed on the heap of signs he found so offensive? Will Dorn-Jones also be cited and forced to pay a $100 fine?

If not, then President George W. Bush is not the only political leader who plays fast and loose with his former cronies when it comes to being scofflaws.