Gillam wants campaign signs removed

A former candidate said the signs were overlooked.

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — A councilman said he is upset that candidates for city council still have campaign signs standing alongside roadways nearly two months after the election, and he wants those signs removed.

Councilman Artis Gillam said he has traveled along McGuffey Road since the November election and noticed campaign signs for Adam Rutushin, who lost a bid for 1st Ward Councilman against Gillam’s wife, Annie Gillam; along with a sign or two for Monica Neives, who ran for Youngstown School Board.

Gillam said the signs still line several streets on the East Side of the city.

A representative of the Mahoning County Board of Elections said the board does not have a policy on when the campaign signs should be removed after an election. She said removal of the signs is generally left up to the zoning authorities in each jurisdiction.

Ray DeCarlo, city zoning specialist, said the city does address campaign sign removal in its codified ordinances. He said political signs are to be removed no later than 10 days after an election and cannot be erected more than 30 days before the election.

Neives could not be reached to comment.

Rutushin said any signs still standing with his name affixed to them were simply overlooked. He said there more than 100 signs printed for his campaign and some may have been missed when his people went out to collect the signs.

“I sent someone out to pick up the signs the day after the election,” he said. “I would be happy to pick them up if we missed one, but we did try to get them all up.”

Gillam is convinced there is more to the leftover signs than simply missing them in the collection process. He said there are several signs in prominent areas with heavy traffic. He believes Rutushin, who changed his voting residency three days before the filing deadline for the election from a house in Boardman to an apartment complex on West Wood Street, went back to suburban living and simply did not care about the leftover signs.

“I don’t see how he had anyone out there [picking up signs] at all,” he said. “I think he went back to Boardman and just forgot about the signs. If he looks out his door in Boardman I am sure it looks better than over on Wood Street, and I just don’t think he cares.”

Rutushin said a lack of concern is not the case. He said he still maintains his residency in the city and has since canvassed the area and removed any of his remaining campaign signs. He said there are other candidates with signs still standing as well.

Gillam said he had received complaints about the signs and just wanted them removed.

jgoodwin@vindy.com