Enough with the giant political signs

Dear Editor,

I’ve been a Yorktown resident for 26 years. My husband and I moved here to build a life rooted in community – to give our children opportunities and to be part of a town that values respect and civility. That’s why I’ve found the tactics for this election cycle so disheartening. It feels like the local, real-life version of someone shouting in all caps in a text message — loud, relentless, and far from the kind of thoughtful discourse our town deserves.

That's why I've been dismayed to see the recent proliferation of huge political signs placed on private property and on town easements throughout Yorktown. I'm not referring to the standard lawn signs we've all come to expect during campaign season. These are massive, billboard-size displays—impossible to miss, visually jarring, and out of step with the respectful political dialogue our community deserves. Frankly, they have created massive political eyesores for months.

While these signs may technically sit on private property, their outsized presence affects the entire community. They clutter our streetscapes, contribute to visual blight, and create a kind of social litter that diminishes the tone of civic discourse.

Political expression is vital to democracy, but it should be done with a sense of proportion, respect and care for the shared environment we all inhabit. We cannot allow these huge signs to become the new normal.

-Susan Pedretti, Yorktown