Steubenville City Council is mulling its options in the wake of a dispute over political signs.

Fourth Ward Councilman Royal Mayo had initially raised the issue during the Aug. 27 council meeting, pointing out his signs had been removed during a previous election because he’d inadvertently violated a city ordinance regulating when and where they could be posted. He said any election signs that had already been posted in city limits for the 2024 election should be removed.

The city’s sign ordinance states that: “… Political signs shall not be placed in any public right of way and shall not obstruct traffic visibility. Such signs shall be placed no sooner than 60 days prior to the election and removed within 10 days after the election. Political signs placed in a residential zoning district shall not exceed 8 square feet in size and political signs placed in a commercial, industrial or other zoning district shall not exceed 36 square feet in size. The owner of the property where the political signs are placed shall be responsible for their removal …”

City officials told Mayo the ordinance has been on the books for years, likely predating early voting, and they’d have to figure out when the election clock starts ticking — 60 days before early voting opens (Oct. 8 this year) or 60 days before voters who choose to stick with tradition can go to their neighborhood polling places and cast their ballots on Election Day (Nov. 5 this year.)

During Tuesday’s council meeting, Mayo renewed his objections, as did Jefferson County Democrat Party Chair Ed Abdalla, who argued that by not removing election signs that had already been posted, “you’re allowing (it) to go unenforced.”

Abdalla contends the term “election day” should be strictly construed to mean Nov. 5, but Law Director Costa Mastros pointed out that while the city’s ordinance stipulates no signs until 60 days prior to the election ” … the term ‘the election’ is not defined in our ordinance, so we have to look at what the common meaning is — and the common meaning is ‘the process of voting or electing’ — that’s from Webster’s (Dictionary.) So, now we have early voting, and early voting begins Oct. 8, so as I see it, the election includes early voting because those votes count.

“You have to remember this, too — political speech is the highest protected speech that we have, and you have to worry about the constitutionality of an ordinance, so that’s the opinion I gave (the city),” Mastros added.

Four council members — First Ward Councilman Dave Albaugh, Third Ward Councilwoman Heather Hoover, Fifth Ward Councilman Ted Gorman and Councilman at large Joel Walker — said rescinding the election sign provision is definitely an option.

“When it comes to the interpretation of the ordinance, from a legal perspective, because of differing views, if council decides not to rescind it, then we should consider revising (the ordinance) to establish clearer guidelines as to whether the election refers to the process (early voting) or the actual date to alleviate any further misconceptions,” Hoover added.