Red Oak political sign ordinance under fire

RED OAK – The Red Oak City Council came under fire over a political sign ordnance Monday evening.

Several local and county residents shared their concerns over the current ordinance to amend election signs. 

Council eventually recessed into executive session for further discussion after all other agenda items had been voted on by the city council.

When council came out of Executive Session at 10:15 p.m., there was no action taken.

The idea to make a motion to table the item was originally suggested at the beginning of the regular agenda during conversations that included Red Oak City Attorney Bob Hager and a council member. 

Hager said a few times it seemed item 7 on the Red Oak City Council agenda Monday night should be further looked into and not voted on since he was tasked with making corrections to the ordinance during the meeting.

“Here is my concern,” Hager said at one point.

“I am up here trying to change it tonight, and I am going to do something that creates another loophole, or another problem and I am not in favor of doing that.”

Hagar said he hated to scratch things off during the middle of the meeting and miss something. 

It seemed item 7 however was one of those items that someone believed must be voted on Monday night. 

One council member was heard saying let’s get it over with.

Item 7 was moved to the end of the meeting for council to proceed with the other items on the agenda.

Hager was instructed to meet with Ellis County Election Administrator Jana Onyon, who also spoke at the meeting about item 7, to discuss her ideas for the proposed changes before the evening’s vote on the ordinance.

Onyon had asked a number of questions about election signs and when they must be removed during the election. 

Hager pointed out Texas law states election signs on public property must be removed each day and placed back the following day during the election.

She said most cities allow candidates to leave the signs up the two weeks and they do not enforce state law. 

This daily removal is also a procedure Red Oak has not followed during elections in the past. 

A number of citizens spoke with concerns regarding the election sign issue including Randy Bellamy, Ellis County Chair of the Republican Party. Former Red Oak ISD Trustee Penny Story spoke and at the end of public comment. Red Oak Mayor Mark Stanfill allowed her to return to finish her public comment that ran over the three minute allowance to speak. 

Story said she thinks voters in Ellis County need freedom of speech and deserve better than that. 

She said they need to see the candidates and have the information because many voters vote off the signs. Story said estricting voters from seeing candidates sign violates the election code.

When Stanfill opened the agenda item he said, “If we were to address this item it would be more restrictive than the way it is written right now. 

“Signs of any kind or not allowed on the rights-of-way, for sale signs, garage sale, etc. 

“This specifically stemmed from an election that happened a couple of years ago that made our city look trashy and it got way out of hand with putting and stacking signs over everybody, trampling plants that had been planted out there, water lines that were broke. 

“This was two years ago and so we… it may have swung the pendulum to the far side, so we are trying to straighten some of that out.” 

Scott Goodwin from the Integrity Project spoke, saying the group was concerned about how this particular item may affect the ability of the candidates to reach some of the more marginalized people in the community – the people who do not have access to social media and computers. 

He said many people use the signs to find out more about the individuals running. 

From a constitutional view and freedom of speech, Goodwin said the group is watching how it plays out as it does not appear the places where the ordinance is suggesting the signs be placed would be conducive with the flow of where these marginalized people might be able to see the signs to research the candidates therefore possibly restricting freedom of speech and the freedom of access to information in the community. 

With no action taken on this item Monday night, it will likely be included on the city council agenda at the next meeting, the second Monday in February.