Signs Should Go

Some time ago East Hampton Village passed an ordinance prohibiting anything other than street and directional signs on public property. And it has worked; passers-by are able to enjoy this fall’s unusually vivid foliage unencumbered. This is something the East Hampton Town Board should look into in light of the unsightly proliferation of political come-ons stuck along on nearly every roadside.

The election this year has been marked not only by the stunning amount of helicopter money that poured in to aid the local Republican candidates but the perhaps related number of signs supporting them. Sure there were placards out for Democrats, but far fewer. You have to hand it to the Republicans’ side for industriousness — and bad taste. The otherwise lovely fall roadsides have been diminished by the red-white-and-blue folderol. Theft has been a distraction as well, with one vocal Democrat having been caught in the act on video. Enough is enough, we say.

Let’s hope that both political parties quickly dispatch volunteers to take down their respective signs. Once that is done, officials should work on adopting new rules to keep East Hampton’s streets and public green spaces clear of visual clutter as the next election approaches.