Bows on Main. An exception to the rule? Blogfinger photo. May 4, 2015
This has nothing to do with the meaning of the pink bows. This is about respect for the law. If you have a law, there should be no exceptions. That’s what the 14th amendment to the Constitution says. I happen to be someone who believes in the rule of law, as I suspect most of you do. This is not the first time that I have complained about this issue, because we are now on our 4th Annual Town-Wide Yard Sale, and we may not post yard sale signs on the telephone poles or on police poles such as STOP signs. This may seem like small potatoes, but to me it is a principle—-i.e. big potatoes. And my free speech rights let me whine and complain.
It is amazing that in Neptune Township, a law can be flaunted like this without any repercussions. I called Code Enforcement, and the guy in charge, Doolittle, didn’t even return my call. Since when do Township employees ignore a call from a citizen? This has also happened to me at the tax assessor’s office, the Township engineer’s office, the zoning office, and the DPW. Maybe it’s something I said? It seems that the government of the people does not want to hear from the people.
At the Clerk’s office I was able to get a copy of the ordinance. That office is user friendly for citizens. It turns out that the fines for violating an ordinance are not posted along with the ordinance. However the Clerk’s clerk found the answer for me: $100.00 to $1000.00 fine.
Here is the PM (property maintenance ordinance) 304.19 entitled “Graffiti:”
“No person shall place upon or in any manner deface, post hand bills or mark with chalk, ink, paint, or any other substance upon any structure, fence, pole, rock, tree or other object maintaining thereon any words, devices, trademarks, advertisements, graffiti, picture or notices not required by law to be posted.”
It seems to me that these bows “thereon” are not “required by law” to be posted. They are trademarks, advertisements, and notices— sort of like handbill equivalents. Those bows are a form of speech, even if you have no idea what they are saying. They should not be allowed. They should be taken down.
And it seems that the attitude from Town Hall is “Tough!” But this is a precedent, and I’d like to see them fine anybody for posting a sign for a yard sale, a lost cat, or a meeting of anarchists at Nagle’s.
OK OK. Enough complaining. Let’s take a break and get outta here with Jessica Molaskey —-then we’ll check out the NERP again.