By ANNE LINDBERG, Tampa Bay Reporter

Mayoral candidate Frank Hibbard proposed that candidates for Clearwater City Council refrain from using campaign signs until Jan. 2. One candidate – Bob Cundiff – is proposing that candidates completely forego yard signs this election cycle.

CLEARWATER – One of the most obvious hallmarks of election season is the campaign yard sign.

You see them everywhere from road rights of ways to peoples’ yards to businesses, anywhere there’s a space. And they tend to multiply. As one candidate finds a choice spot for a sign, other candidates soon follow.

This year, one candidate had an idea – hold off on signs, at least until the election is a bit closer. Not only is mayoral candidate Frank Hibbard planning to delay putting out signs, he’s asked all the other candidates to also refrain from putting out yard signs for the March 17 election until after the new year.

“This may be a little odd but I wanted to make a proposal to everyone that is running for the Clearwater City Council,” Hibbard, a former Clearwater mayor, wrote in an Oct. 4 email. “Historically, candidates could not place signs until 60 days prior to any election. That changed two years ago and so today any of you with funds could start to place signs around the city.  

“I believe with 13 candidates who have picked up signature cards and another three who are considering running, that is 16 and counting. That is a potentially massive number of signs cluttering the city from now until March.  I am proposing that we all agree to hold off until January 2nd.

“Some of you might believe this disadvantages some candidates over others, I can’t honestly answer that. I just think this would be a sign that all candidates care about the city above all else.”

Hibbard said Monday (Oct. 29) that nine of the 13 people who have so far filed to run for the three available seats in the March 17 election have agreed to wait to put up signs. The other four have not responded, he said.

Scott Thomas, a candidate for Seat 3 on the council, is one of those nine.

“The residents of Clearwater certainly does not need to have the displeasure of seeing campaign signs for the next six months, especially as we enter the holiday season. This is a time where citizens should be enjoying the wonderful decorations of the holidays that our city has to offer. I call on all candidates to join in this proposal and put city over politics,” Thomas said.

And Hibbard, who proposed the sign hiatus, is also going to delay putting up signs even though four candidates may not be on board.

“I think it’s important and a good thing for the city,” Hibbard said. “I”m standing by it.”

Another candidate, Bob Cundiff, who’s running for reelection to Seat 3 incumbent, has gone one step further. He’s calling on all candidates to forego yard signs for the entire election cycle.

“If each candidate only posts 100 yards signs — and most will have many, many times that number — our city would be cluttered with over 1,000 of these distracting signs along our roadways and in our neighborhoods,” Cundiff said. “I’m publicly calling on all candidates to join me in pledging to plant no yards signs between now and the election.”

Cundiff added, “How can anyone say we need more open and green spaces while at the same time festooning Clearwater with their unsightly campaign signs for nearly half the year?”

He said it comes down to each candidate choosing between keeping Clearwater beautiful or just furthering his or her political ambition.

An environmental consideration is that almost all yard signs are made of all-weather plastic. Once the campaigning is over, past elections have resulted in few signs reclaimed by candidates, Cundiff said. That means the city will be burdened with collecting thousands and thousands of signs and disposing them. Studies show that plastic can take up to 1,000 years to decompose.

“I’d rather spend my time and campaign funds telling residents what I stand for rather than on unappealing yard signs,” Cundiff said. “Again, I urge every candidate to join me in pledging not to have any yard signs in this election — the citizens of Clearwater will be grateful if we do so.”

Cundiff has released a 36-second Halloween Youtube video explaining his position and calling on other candidates to follow his lead.

Hibbard said he won’t be following Cundiff’s lead.

“I’m going to put signs up,” Hibbard said.

The key, Hibbard said, is to make sure they’re not in rights of ways or other banned places and to make sure they’re gone by three days after the election.

The non-partisan Clearwater City Council election will take place March 17. Seats 2, 3 and the mayor’s seat (Seat 1) are on the ballot. That is also the day of the Presidential Preference Primary.

Clearwater council members are elected at large in a non-partisan election to serve four-year terms. Candidate qualifying begins at 8 a.m. Friday (Nov. 1) and ends at 5 p.m. Nov. 15. The last day to register to be able to vote in the March 17 election is Feb. 18. For information about voter registration, go to votepinellas.com.

Photo is from Tampa Bay Reporter files.

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