I would like to bring attention to the Lake Stevens mayoral race, which has taken a turn for the worse. At a city council meeting on July 9, Everett police officer and Lake Stevens councilman Brett Gailey threatened the city with litigation if it upholds a city ordinance.
Gailey is a Lake Stevens mayoral candidate who is breaking local signage laws by placing many large signs around town that violate the square-footage size limit.
The city subsequently received multiple complaints, and code enforcement notified the candidate the signs must be removed or replaced.
Apparently, when notified the candidate refused to remove/replace the signs, and then threatened the city with litigation from his seat at the meeting if it upholds the law, based on his “First Amendment” rights.
Cities across the country have enforced sign size limits for decades. While some “content” has been deemed protected, size is decidedly not free speech. These sign ordinances are virtually identical to many cities in Washington and around the country.
If we didn’t have these laws, we would also have billboards like Gailey’s everywhere, which is the point of the law. We simply can’t enforce laws only when convenient and ignore them for police or others in power when they pound the table.
I began this race undecided. But I sure can’t see electing a police officer who thinks he is above the law, or promote a councilman that would put his ego ahead of the best interests of the city by threatening to sue it for his ignorance.
Cathy Benson
Lake Stevens
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