Wenatchee Mayoral Candidate, City At Odds Over Sign Removal

A candidate for mayor of Wenatchee says he's being singled out for removal of campaign signs on public right of way. 

James McLaughlin says hundreds of his signs were removed by the city from legal public right of way locations.

"In the right of ways, which you're allowed to put them for temporary political signs, they were all completely removed," said McLaughlin. "That's in violation of the very code that Mike Poirier voted in on temporary political signs several year ago." 

Mike Poirier is a city council member who is running against McLaughlin for mayor. 

McLaughlin says his signs were taken down while Poirier signs in the public right of way remain in place. 

The city disputes McLaughlin's claim. Wenatchee Community Development Director Glen DeVries says no signs have been taken from public right of ways, only from city parks and public spaces where they are not allowed. 

He said the city is not required to inform people when their signs are removed from city parks and public spaces. 

DeVries clarified that campaign signs can be taken down from public right of ways in instances where they present a safety hazard, such as in roundabouts. 

McLaughlin says the city failed to follow its own procedure to inform him of action being taken to remove the signs. 

"The procedure is, the candidate is notified," McLaughlin said. "A citation is issued. And then the code enforcement has a hearing, and basically that's how this process is dealt with. In my circumstance, the signs were completely removed.  No notification. No nothing." 

McLaughlin says he's missing half of the 500 signs his team placed around Wenatchee, although he was able to recover 65 of them from the public works department. 

Wenatchee City Clerk Tammy McCord said she informed all candidates in this year’s election that any signs in city parks would be removed and taken to the Public Works department on McKittrick St., where the candidates could pick them up. 

McLaughlin admitted about 10 of his signs were improperly placed in city parks. 

He and Poirier are in a three-way primary contest along with Bryan Campbell for mayor of Wenatchee. 

McLaughlin runs a construction remodel & design company and says he's had numerous disagreements with high ranking members of city government over building and planning decisions.