Thursday, March 1, 2012

Avella calls for steeper fines for campaign signs

From Douglaston Patch:

State Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, is calling for the city to refuse petitions for would-be candidates who have outstanding violations for illegal campaign signs.

The senator says he will introduce a bill that would enhance the city Department of Sanitation’s ability to collect delinquent fines from candidates who have received violations for placing campaign signs on public property.

“I find it unconscionable when candidates run for elected office to become law and policy makers and are unable to follow the simplest of ordinances and unwilling to pay the consequences,” Avella said. “A candidate should be in control of their campaign and volunteers and that means owning up to whatever mistakes and penalties that may occur.”

He said the city’s Board of Elections should be able to deny a candidate’s presence on the ballot until election-related fines are paid from previous campaigns.

He cited recent campaigns by mayoral candidate Bill Thompson and City Comptroller John Liu that were fined for sign violations.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

the comedy continues........

Anonymous said...

They should give fines to those who use "loud speakers" on truck's. They drive around the neighborhoods blaring out a candidate name for hours.
They should be fine!!

Anonymous said...

I'd like to see fines on all illegally mounted signs raised significantly.

Signs nailed to utility poles and trees or glued to street lamps with tar should result in fines hefty enough to pay for the cost of removing this junk.

I lick my chops over the idea of a fine in the amount of $2,000 per illegal sign.

Anonymous said...

Go after John Lui. His stupid campaign workers put them up in broad daylight. after the campaign was cited. they forlornly took them down, only to put them back up again. this is what happens when one hires inexperienced amateurs and Working Families Party/Acorn drones.

Somebody ought to start investigating his campaign workers. were they paid minimum wage?