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55 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, September 20, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 7, 2004 Complaints prompt warning on signs By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Reacting to citizen complaints, Medford planning officials are cautioning local candidates that their political signs may be running afoul of zoning restrictions and permit requirements. "We go through this every election period," said City Planner Jim Maize. "People are unaware of what the standards are." The city has notified Jim Wright, candidate for state Senate, that two 4-by-8-foot signs in east Medford appear to violate a sign ordinance that limits the size to 6 square feet in residential areas. The signs are located at Hillcrest and Foothill roads and at the corner of Springbrook and McAndrews roads. There also is a Kerry sign on Black Oak Drive that is larger than 6 square feet. Another large sign is on a commercially zoned parcel between North Phoenix Road and Urano Drive. Maize said the sign requires a permit if it is in a commercial zone. The Wright sign in this field is displayed next to a Sal Esquivel political sign. Advertisement Esquivel, who is running for the House District 6 seat against John Doty, said he wasn’t aware of any regulations requiring a permit in commercial areas. He later came in to the city planning department to pick up a permit application. Burke Raymond, campaign manager for Wright, said the Wright campaign received permission from the property owners before the signs were erected but was unaware of any city restrictions. "We discussed that the other day, and they’re going to come down," he said. "We’re not going to do anything against the ordinances." Raymond said the Wright campaign also will vigilantly make sure that rival candidates follow the ordinances. "We will be watching the opposition carefully," he said. "We will take comfort in knowing that at that corner there won’t be any (Alan) Bates signs." Rep. Bates is running against Wright for the Senate District 3 seat. Lois Thorson, campaign treasurer for Sue Densmore, Democratic candidate for county commissioner, said she called the city to complain about the signs because her candidate had discovered early on that large signs weren’t permissible. "We researched the issue in the primary and we were told ‘no,’ " she said. Thorson, who lives off Hillcrest and drives by the signs all the time, acknowledged the debate over signs could get out of control. "It can get drawn out into a ridiculous situation," said Thorson, who has no signs in her own yard. "We don’t want to nitpick over little signs." The city also has an ordinance limiting the number of signs in a residential area to two for each home. In many areas in east Medford, there are front yards with three or more signs. The city, however, has no restrictions on how long signs can be left up. Maize said city officials don’t generally patrol neighborhoods looking for violations of sign ordinances. However, they do respond once they’ve received a complaint. The city could levy a fine of up to $250 a day for failure to pull them down, although Maize said it hasn’t happened in recent memory. He urged candidates or their committees to call the planning department at 774-2380 to find out whether there are restrictions on the number of signs allowed or permits required. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities