A Richmond city councilman who wants to strike Mayor Dwight C. Jones' name from city signs that highlight pending road-resurfacing projects has nixed a suggestion that council members also be listed.
In a response to objections of Councilman Bruce W. Tyler, the Department of Public Works proposed redesigning the signs to include the names of the nine council members along with those of the mayor and Chief Administrative Officer Byron C. Marshall.
Tyler called the gesture unnecessary and has proposed an ordinance that would prohibit the temporary signs from listing the name of any city officer or employee. He is suggesting that the signs credit the city and the department overseeing the work.
"The only thing that the mayor and I do is approve money for these things," Tyler said.
Under the proposed ordinance, any person who installs or orders the installation of a sign that violates the regulations could face a civil penalty of $100. The ordinance would apply to signs for road and sidewalk work but not large projects, such as courthouse renovations.
Some council members have said the city's $150 signs, which feature the mayor's "Building a Better Richmond" slogan, border on electioneering with city property — a misdemeanor offense under the Richmond City Code. The council members and mayor face potential re-election bids in 2012.
The City Council had been scheduled to vote Dec. 13 on the proposed ordinance. However, the council's Government Operations Committee voted last week to keep it in committee.
Calling the signs tacky, Councilman E. Martin Jewell, the committee chairman, encouraged the administration to exclude officials' names from future signs voluntarily.
The Jones administration has defended the signs, saying they have been produced at minimal cost and are common in other cities with an elected mayor.
"I don't know the direction the administration is going to head in," said Tammy D. Hawley, press secretary to Jones.
At this point, Tyler is the lone patron of the proposed ordinance. Other council members largely have avoided the discussion of which, if any, names should be listed. They have stressed the importance of signs that let the public know that road and sidewalk projects are being funded with city, not state or federal, funds.
wjones@timesdispatch.com
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