CAMPAIGN - The Mudslinging Begins

     Let the record show that the mudslinging in the race for Douglas County Commissioner officially began Monday, March 24th, 2014. That's the day that local multi-millionaire Bill Woods took out a one-sixth page paid advertisement in the Roseburg News-Review, chastising commissioner candidate Mark Vincent.
     According to Woods' advertisement, Woods gave permission to commissioner candidate Tim Freeman to place a sign on Woods' Diamond Lake Boulevard property, but did not give permission to Vincent or two other Democratic candidates, Bjornsen and Acree, to place signs on his property. The newspaper advertisement has a photo that clearly shows signs belonging to Freeman, Vincent, Bjornsen, and Acree on Woods' property.
     I had two initial reactions.
     1.) Why would Bill Woods waste hundreds of dollars on a mudslinging advertisement over some cardboard that was placed on vacant property? One would think the money would be better spent on a real meaty issue affecting Douglas County government. 
     2.) What took people so long to notice illegally-placed campaign signs? I've been commenting for years about the irony of "private property rights" candidates who think nothing of violating someone else's rights by placing campaign signs on land without the owner's permission. I wish Bill Woods would have spoken up years ago when I was mentioning it during my campaigns. Apparently, Woods is only concerned when his private property rights are violated.
     During all of the elections that I've been involved with, I've come to one conclusion: THE GENERAL PUBLIC COULD CARE LESS ABOUT WHERE CAMPAIGN SIGNS ARE PLACED. By law, signs can only be placed on private property, presumably with the owner's permission. It is illegal for signs to be placed on public property, including public right-of-way by the side of the road.
     I had one student at Umpqua Community College approach me one time, and he told me that it didn't matter to him where signs were placed, even if it were against the law. My response was, "If it's okay for a candidate to break one small law, then how do we know what laws he/she will commit once they're elected to office?"
     The bottom line is that ALL political candidates break the law at one time or another when they place campaign signs at various locations. Observe the public right-of-way strip of land at the southwest corner of Stewart Parkway and Garden Valley Boulevard.
[ *** A correction to this paragraph has been posted on my blog as of March 28th:   Or look at the Costco exit along northeast Stephens street. Along a narrow strip of public right-of-way between the railroad tracks and northeast Stephens street, there is a Tim Freeman billboard sign facing the Costco exit. There is no private property between the Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad right-of-way and the county-owned right-of-way along northeast Stephens street. *** ]
      So do I care where/if political candidates illegally place their signs? Based on voter apathy on the issue this past decade, as articulated by that one UCC student, I would have to say no. If a property owner discovers an illegally-placed sign on their land, he/she should remove the sign...use the sign as firewood...report the incident to the police and to their local (city or county) public works department.
But Bill Woods' solution of using his money and clout to influence an election appears to be undue posturing on his part.
     Thank God that I haven't placed any campaign signs yet! One long-time Republican official once told me that a candidate wants to put their signs up about one month before the election. Any earlier than that, and the public will become desensitized to the sign's message. That age-old advice no longer applies in Douglas County. Signs now begin appearing on the landscape as early as January.