It’s spring and everyone is smiling. At least that’s how it feels when I’m driving around Wyndham’s roads.
On trees and posts, in front gardens and on industrial fences, the cheesy grins of council election hopefuls beam from placards and signs.
Some appear to have been knocked up on home computers, others are full-sized real estate boards, more an ostentatious display of wealth than a humble request to serve our community.
Generally, they’re accompanied by tedious slogans promising the candidate “will work towards a better future” and they “understand the issues”. But here’s an issue for you.
Since January, Wyndham Council has cracked down on residents putting up roadside signs promoting garage sales. Fair enough.
I’ve seen enough weather-worn handwritten old signs hanging around long after the home owner has sold the contents of the shed to know that they’re unsightly.
But put your sign up more than two days prior to your garage sale, or leave it up longer than the following day, and you could face a $375 fine.
Election campaign signage has been up since early September and I’m still driving past the empty grins and promises of candidates two weeks after voting packs have been issued.
The council’s chief executive Kerry Thompson assures me it’s perfectly legal to display election signage on private property, however, permission must be sought from the property owner.
The sheer volume of signage makes it hard for me to believe permission was sought in every instance, although I’m happy to be proven wrong.
What are the penalties for those in the election race if their self-promotional signage isn’t taken down promptly and disposed of appropriately?
To all the candidates, take your signage down and put a smile on all our faces.
Emma Sutcliffe is a freelance writer on Facebook at “Little River Emma”
