The Jenkintown Police Department posted today a reminder that flyers stapled to utility poles in the borough are illegal.

Jenkintown Police Chief Thomas Scott told Glenside Local that the reminder has nothing to do with targeting flyers regarding Jenkintown School District superintendent Dr. Jill Takacs.

“It has nothing to do with the politics in play. The issue with this thing is it’s an eyesore. Any local municipality is going to make an effort to make sure the community looks good. Additionally, PECO and Verizon have made the effort to get a state law passed because of the safety of their workers,” Chief Scott said. “They want to protect them from the staples and chemicals, and it also degrades the poles themselves. We received complaints, and we’re addressing it.”

Chief Scott noted that the borough’s crossing guards have been told to case and desist posting flyers as well.

“We’re just advising the community of what is and isn’t allowed. It’s more of a community notification. We’re not looking to enforce it,” he said. “The ordinance in the borough does prohibit signage of that nature. We talked to PECO, who told us that this always happens during the election season. There are other ways of sharing information, and we’re more than willing to help residents spread that information in other ways.”

From the post:

Recently, we received complaints of flyers being posted on utility poles (telephone) throughout the Borough. The flyers were stapled to the poles within the Borough. This is a friendly reminder that this activity is ILLEGAL. There are state and local laws restricting this practice. In addition, PECO and Verizon have confirmed that this practice is against their company policies. The utility poles are not public property. This activity is not protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. We want to thank many community members who removed these flyers from the poles. We will be inspecting and making sure all flyers are removed from the locations within the Borough. We have locations within the Borough where you can post flyers or community notifications. Please contact the Police Department or the Borough for any future considerations to this type of activity.

In related news, Hatboro Little League posted a clarification regarding their political neutrality.

From their post:

Hatboro LL does not, will not, nor ever has supported or endorsed any political candidate over another. As yet another election season approaches, a recent complete and utter misperception about our social media activity leads us to this public service announcement to you, the HLL community.

As a vital component of our community, Hatboro LL does of course support local officials (whether appointed or duly elected, without regard to political affiliation) along with law enforcement, first responders, and fellow local non profit organizations for the work they perform in our community. HLL strives to be a place where people can leave such things as politics at Blair Mill Road for at least a short time when they pull into either of our driveways to enjoy a family atmosphere watching children and their friends play ball.

While we have had current political office holders of both major parties as sponsors over the years and will continue to allow that since sponsors are a crucial part of fundraising to keep costs down and maintain a beautiful place for kids to play, we do not allow “vote for me” signs nor endorse any party or campaigns at election time. That is not our role in the community we serve, and our membership is of course free to vote how they choose as Americans without coercion. Political candidates regardless of party affiliation should not place any campaign signs on our complex as they will be swiftly relocated to a dumpster of choice by our grounds crew.

Thank you for allowing us to clear any misperceptions up, now we can get back to playing ball. Go Birds and Phillies, too!

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