The Village of Munsey Park is exploring the possibility of creating a sign ordinance, which would limit the use of political signage throughout the village.
“I think we just have to get ahead of this because we’ve been very neighborly. People just live and let live,” Mayor Lawrence Ceriello said.
Ceriello said the idea came from his regular meetings with other village mayors, during which some shared the ordinances their villages have implemented.
Munsey Park looked to the Village of Sands Point for guidance, which has an ordinance in place already.
Ceriello said the village does not have an issue with excessive signage but that the ordinance would prevent potential problems in the future.
He said that during the 2016 presidential election, he received complaints from residents about Trump flags flying in the village. He said that after conversations with the residents who erected the flags, they were removed.
“For as long as I’ve lived here, people didn’t worry about this stuff. Nobody put up signs,” Ceriello said. “I think it’s just something that’s a sign of the times, so we’ll look into it.”
Village attorney Robert Morici said the ordinance would still have to uphold residents’ First Amendment rights. To do this, the ordinance can not prohibit signage but can limit certain aspects.
“We don’t want to limit people’s rights in any way,” Morici said.
The ordinance could implement limitations such as the permitted distance from a curb at which it can be posted and the amount of time before and after an election it can be up.
In other news, Ceriello said the village has pulled back on pursuing an improvement project at Waldmann Park, which previously garnered pushback from residents.
The village received a $110,000 county grant that they had planned to allocate for improvements at the park and possibly implementing interactive elements for children to play with. Resident concerns centered on turning the village park into a playground.
Ceriello said the village is looking to use the money instead for its sidewalks. This would fund repairs to sidewalks that have risen, which can be tripping hazards.
