For 26 years, I have unknowingly been out of compliance with the Town of Erie by placing political yard signs within the public right-of-way. On October 20, 2026, at 9:11 AM, the Town of Erie Code Inspector chose to enforce that provision by removing political signs from a residential neighborhood. The inspector was acting within the authority granted by the Town’s Municipal Code and was performing official duties while using Town resources.
What I find troubling is not the existence of the ordinance, but the manner in which it was enforced. The Town’s own website states: “The Town’s Code Inspector reviews signs and locations weekly. If a sign is incorrectly placed or requires a permit, the Code Inspector will contact the property owner for discussion of options.”
Neither I nor my neighbors received such contact. No warning was provided. No conversation was initiated. No notice was left behind explaining the violation or identifying where the confiscated signs could be recovered.
Had the inspector knocked on the door, left a courtesy notice, or simply placed the sign on the front porch with an explanation of the violation, I would have gladly corrected the mistake. After all, if I had been violating the code for 26 years, I would have appreciated being informed of it. Such an approach would have reflected common courtesy and fostered cooperation between citizens and their local government.
Instead, signs were removed without any apparent effort to educate the residents involved. The result was an enforcement action that felt less like community service and more like an exercise in regulatory authority.
This incident has also raised broader questions for me about priorities in local government. Enforcement activities require taxpayer-funded time, vehicles, equipment, and personnel. Citizens have every right to ask whether these resources are being used in the most effective manner and whether the benefits of such enforcement justify the costs.
More importantly, local government functions best when it sees citizens as partners rather than subjects of regulation. Municipal codes serve an important purpose, but their ultimate goal should be to protect the rights, safety, and well-being of the community. Whenever possible, education and voluntary compliance should come before punitive measures.
This experience has influenced my thinking about future requests for additional tax revenue. I will not support tax increases when I see public resources devoted to activities that could have been resolved through a simple conversation, a warning, or a courtesy notice. Government earns public trust not merely by enforcing rules, but by exercising judgment, restraint, and respect for the people it serves.
Like most local municipalities, the Town of Erie can do better.
https://kimmonson.com/featured_articles/a-sign-a-code-and-a-conversation-that-never-happened/
