Edmonds orders scrub-up of graffiti

EDMONDS — Mike Johnson has cleaned up his share of graffiti.

For a dozen years, Johnson was the man responsible for removing graffiti from the city’s signs, roads and public buildings.

He’s hoping a new city ordinance helps curb tagging on privately owned properties.

The new rules, recently approved by the City Council, require landowners to remove graffiti from their properties or risk fines of up to $250 per day.

“The quicker you can get it off, it’s more of a deterrent so they won’t keep coming back,” said Johnson, who lives in Marysville. “We will see what happens.”

Graffiti was a much smaller problem 23 years ago, when Johnson started working for the city of Edmonds. Back then, graffiti usually only appeared on the concrete beneath overpasses, he said.

Nowadays, Johnson sees tagging happening everywhere. He once had to clean up graffiti from the middle of a busy street. Lately, the metal boxes used to control traffic signals are being marked with graffiti.

“It goes in spurts,” he said. “They’ll hit stuff really hard for awhile.”

Some graffiti is easy to clean off. Other times, not so much.

“It just kind of comes with the job,” said Johnson, who now works elsewhere in the public works department. “It was a pain before because I was the one who had to go take it off.”

It’s the law

The new anti-graffiti ordinance in Edmonds prohibits people from possessing “graffiti implements” with intent to deface property. Graffiti implements include:

Spray paint

Broad-tipped markers

Gum labels

Paint sticks

Etching equipment

Paint brushes

WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES?

Adults can be charged with gross misdemeanors.

Juveniles’ parents or legal guardians can be held liable to pay for removing graffiti and other damage.

Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or ­spesznecker@heraldnet.com.