Removal of signs sparks suspicion

WASILLA — A city code enforcement officer’s rounds on Wednesday included removing political signs and some other signs from public rights-of-way, and that has some backers of a labor bargaining initiative known as Wasilla’s Prop. 1 suspicious they were the target of special attention.

Wasilla Police Officer Jentry Crain, one of Prop. 1’s backers, said about 30 Prop. 1 signs were among those removed by Code Compliance Officer Mike Rager.

The proposition, which is separate from the Mat-Su Borough’s Prop. 1 land-use measure, calls for a collective bargaining process for city workers. Workers say they want consistent work rules.

Chief of Police Angella Long said no one group, candidate or campaign was targeted for sign removal, and that Officer Rager was simply enforcing public rights-of-way. In fact, she said, many different types of signs were removed, from city council candidate signs to garage sale signs, because they were illegally placed.

That contention doesn’t wash with Wasilla City Council member and candidate Mark Ewing, a Prop. 1 backer and council candidate who also who lost a city council race sign during the enforcement action. He said his sign was placed with permission on private property under Borough jurisdiction, not on city land. He said the sign was deemed to be too close to a bike trail.

Crain is familiar with the municipal code section governing placement of signs and said there is an exemption for temporary signs, and that commercial signs are what the ordinance targets. Signs are to be removed under the code only in cases where they are a hazard to public safety, he said.

Crain said in no way does he think the police chief operated unfairly.