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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Q&A: Dave Dotterrer Q&A: Alan Bates Bates and Dotterrer race could go down to wire Since You Asked: Old orchard trees being removed Emergency Services Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Emergency services Man charged with starting Weed, Calif., fire Fallen White City firefighter to be honored at national service Barn fire may have been human-caused Politics and Elections Q&A: Dave Dotterrer Q&A: Alan Bates Bates and Dotterrer race could go down to wire Cecil, Stricker to face off again in mayor's race Commissioner candidates Talbert, Roberts duel for endorsements Education EP school district launches new app Striving to make the grade Fresh produce goes home with Jackson Elementary families State mandates eye exams for kids 7 and younger Eagle Point School District goes silent on gun issue Environment Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt Josephine County ballot measure would ban commercial and government pesticide use Low water exposes Emigrant Lake's past Wagner Creek work would restore streambank Deer-killing disease won't taint meat for hunters State news Nation - World Obituaries Barbara A. Debevec John C. McDonough Richard Clifford Trullinger Gerald Milton Nelson Derek Edward Fusmer Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Matthews helps Trail Blazers beat Clippers Wong wins it for Cards Murray, streaking Cowboys drop Seahawks on road Bae wins PGA Tour opener at Silverado 49ers defense presents challenge for Davis Varsity 541 College Sports Southern Oregon, College of Idaho settle on 1-1 draw Stingy pays off Ducks rise to the occasion Mariota leads No. 12 Oregon’s rout of UCLA Stanford cruises past Washington State Pro Sports Matthews helps Trail Blazers beat Clippers Wong wins it for Cards Murray, streaking Cowboys drop Seahawks on road Bae wins PGA Tour opener at Silverado 49ers defense presents challenge for Davis Community Sports Business Latest Stories Silvio Calabi: Nissan’s Taxi of Tomorrow Ranchers offer livestock exchange Lithia buys Clovis dealership Blog: When Life Gives You Lemons... Medford airport has busiest September ever Real Estate News Lithia buys Clovis dealership Rental vacancies increase Jackson County real estate sales, prices continue rebound Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford Medford's Pixel Productions moves to new quarters People In Business Transportation Lithia buys Clovis dealership Agriculture Ranchers offer livestock exchange 1-800-Flowers CEO: Labor shortage an issue for Harry & David Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford Opinion Latest Our View: No clear favorite for county commissioner, position 1 Election Letters, Oct. 13 Our View: It's time to legalize marijuana Letters to the Editor, Oct. 12 Infill is the answer to growth issues Editorials Our View: No clear favorite for county commissioner, position 1 Our View: It's time to legalize marijuana Another View: Congress must act on firefighting budget Our View: Talbert is the right choice for commissioner Our View: Cheers and Jeers Letters to the Editor Election Letters, Oct. 13 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 12 Election Letters, Oct.11 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 10 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 9 Guest Opinions Infill is the answer to growth issues Guest Opinion: Who’s really to blame for 2014 wildfires? Mt. Ashland is responding to community concerns Siskiyou Plus Spring Bear Hunt: What lies beneath? Guest Opinion: Who's to blame for 2014 wildfires? Lifestyle Latest stories Silvio Calabi: Nissan’s Taxi of Tomorrow A poor start can set up a great finish It's easy to fall for Dunsmuir A list to help you get ready for winter Bring On The Stager Food Community blog: Battered, fried bhaji bring street food to the table Community blog: Kicking it off, a game, a season, or a pint (How about all the above?) Apples and pears make great autumn duo Community blog: Cardamom makes proverbial pairing with pears New owners bring new philosophy at 2Hawk Home and Garden A list to help you get ready for winter How to create a fashionable painted floor cloth Dear Monty: 7 prepping tips for home showings Harvest your frost-tender tomatoes for storage Fall is a good time to plant certain perennials Health Community blog: Listen Like You Mean it! Community blog: Listen Like You Mean it! 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'Carnage' is short, smart, darkly funny ... Our View: It's time to legalize marijuana ... Our View: No clear favorite for county commissioner, position 1 ... 'Carnage' is short, smart, darkly funny ... Our View: It's time to legalize marijuana ... Town for sale City Council's vote to allow ads on the airport tower sends wrong message It's official. Medford's civic image is for sale. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Nov. 20, 2011 @ 2:00 am Posted Nov. 20, 2011 @ 2:00 am » Social News It's official. Medford's civic image is for sale. On Thursday, the City Council, overturning the unanimous votes of the Citizens Planning Advisory Committee and the Planning Commission, agreed to amend the city's sign ordinance to allow a 675-square-foot corporate logo to be emblazoned on each of the four sides of the Medford airport control tower. Councilman Chris Corcoran said the move means "Medford, Oregon, is open for business." That's one way of putting it. This move is such a bad idea it's hard to know where to begin. Let's start with just a few of the reasons listed by the Citizens Planning Advisory Committee when it voted 8-0 to deny the airport's request on Sept. 13. The CPAC said the airport should not be given special treatment not available to other property owners, the airport is the gateway to the city and the sign would diminish its aesthetic value, and public buildings ought not serve as billboards. A month later, the Planning Commission voted, also 8-0, to deny the request, agreeing with the reasons cited by the PAC and adding its own, including: "There is nothing more anti-business than regulating a commodity and then saying the government can sell it and nobody else can." In reversing the two committees, the City Council rejected the unanimous conclusions of the people it appoints to advise it on matters such as this. And council members wonder why they can't find people willing to volunteer to serve on these panels? Airport director Bern Case says the $3,000 a month the airport would collect from the advertiser will help reduce the landing fees the airport charges, making it more attractive to airlines. What assurance does the council have that the money will go to reduce landing fees and not for some other expense? Did they get it in writing? And, even if they had bothered to get a written agreement, the reduction in landing fees would be pennies per landing. Council members said this would be good for economic development. Better yet would be to put their money where their mouth is by rolling back some of the fees put on businesses in recent years by the city. While they're at it, they could reconsider the city's decision to penalize downtown merchants with more limits on parking times and increased parking fees. Case says he prefers the term "branding" to "advertising." If the sign on the tower said, "Welcome to Medford," we might buy that. But a sign displaying the logo of a commercial aviation company is not "branding." It's advertising, and it's disingenuous to pretend otherwise. A corporate sign on the control tower doesn't say Medford is open for business. It says Medford will sell anything, even our good name. 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