By Alan Chodos, Alexandria (File photo)
To the editor:
Regarding the recent vote by city council to ban all nongovernmental signs from public rights of way (“A sign of the times,” February 4): I spent a lot of time putting up signs for Mayor Allison Silberberg last year in both the primary and general election campaigns. While dodging traffic, trying to keep ahead of the mowing crews and repairing the ravages of weather, I had some time to think about the overall utility of these signs.
I seriously doubt that they actually helped any particular person get elected. Indeed, if the sheer number of signs had had a significant impact, there are a couple of unsuccessful candidates who would be on council right now.
But there is no doubt that the signs blooming in profusion along the thoroughfares provided a powerful reminder that an election was imminent. I strongly suspect that voter turnout would suffer if they disappeared, especially in the few weeks immediately preceding an election. The signs are emblems of a vigorous democratic process, and banning them is a setback for a fundamental right — and rite — of American politics.
I am disappointed that city councilors cowered in the face of potential litigation, especially when there is no specific threat on the horizon. City Councilor John Chapman suggested a reasonable way forward. It’s a shame that his colleagues, with the exception of Silberberg, decided to sacrifice an expression of our democracy to an overabundance of caution. This is not the leadership that Alexandrians deserve.