CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Kent County Road Commission doesn't care what political affiliation any particular sign has: if it's blocking the view at an intersection, they may take it down.
About a week ago, the road commission did just that. They spent hours going through Kent County removing signs blocking the view from an intersection. Jerry Byrne with the road commission says that it'll be nice once election season is over, so his crew can get a break.
Because, people seem to think the road commission is politically affiliated, which Byrne assures they are not. Obstructive signs are kept in four piles across Kent County, and they even let political candidacies pick their signs up.
Rules include that signs should be kept 150 feet from the intersection, but the rules in Cascade Township for political signage are vague.
The township's sign ordinance doesn't specify where political signage can go on public property, specifically along roads. The ordinance doesn't define political signage at all, in fact. The only mention of where signs can go in Cascade Township on public property is that municipal signs can be put in the right of way.
The Cascade Township clerk's office says they don't take signs down. They leave that up to the road commission.
However, Becky Olson says she had no choice when some of her signs were taken down at 52nd and Whitneyville in Cascade Township.
“In a public area, on public property, right next to a train track,” Olson said.
Olson is part of a group of parents called "Support Forest Hills Public Schools," advocating for a slate of candidates for the local school board. She has students in the school system.
Becky says she was placing signs for her candidates exactly where she saw signs for other candidates on the opposing side of the race.
She says, 12 hours after putting up the signs, they were gone. Becky says a photo of Doug Lee, a candidate for school board, proves he took them.
Doug Lee says that picture isn't the full story. He claims he has taken signage down, but at 48th and Whitneyville, because it was placed on his private property. Kent County Parcel Mapper does not have anyone listed as owning the property directly alongside the road.
Lee says the photo taken of him was actually him putting signs back that the road commission took down. Olson says that's a lie.
“If the Kent county road commission would have taken these signs, they would have taken both of our signs. Only our sign was taken,” Olson said.
Lee also says he has the signs he claims were on his private property at his business, Jam-N-Bean, for the parent group to come to pick up if they want them back.
"This is just a silly signal of just how contentious this has gotten here. But what I'm really upset about is the example that this sets. So let's say, for example, leaves their cell phone in the hallway at school, a public place, and another student takes it, and says it's mine now because it was on public property. If the principal gets involved, is it okay for the student who took the phone to say that's fine, I took it and it was in my locker, but you can have it back? This is the example we're setting," Olson said.
