Political Signs In EG: A Growing Phenomenon

Some say the old “gentleman’s agreement” against the use of signs came to an end the first time EG’s Donald Carcieri ran for governor, but it may have been a letter from the ACLU.

'Tis the season when political yard signs sprout up far and wide across East Greenwich. It wasn’t always so. Twenty years ago, longtime residents say, no candidates used yard signs to gain visibility and win votes. That changed, though the reason for the change isn’t completely clear. Some in town say the change came after then-EG resident Donald Carcieri first ran for governor in 2002. But there’s evidence the change came after the Town was admonished in 2004 that its sign ordinance was unconstitutional. A letter from the Rhode Island chapter of the ACLU (addressed to former Town Solicitor Edmund Alves although he had been replaced by Peter Clarkin by then), said: "Our office received a complaint from an East Greenwich resident last …

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