BERKELEY, NJ — Driving down any road this past month meant seeing a variety of signs promoting candidates for different parties seeking different offices. When election season rolls around, it’s hard to ignore these signs – so much that some are asking that the township adopts regulations.
At the latest Berkeley Township Council meeting, one resident brought this matter up.
“It was a zoo driving down these roadways,” said resident Gary DeRosa, adding that it looked like he was “living in Los Angeles.”
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DeRosa requested that the township adopt some sort of regulations regarding election signs. He referenced how Barnegat adopted regulations back in February, banning signs on public property.
Township Attorney Lauren Staiger, whose firm also represents Barnegat, said that those regulations were adopted after a non-binding referendum was put on the ballot. Since members of the public voted to prohibit election signs on public property, Barnegat adopted an ordinance following suit.
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“I want everybody to be aware that this was a decision that was made by the public within Barnegat,” Staiger said. “This was not a decision made by the governing body. You have to be careful when it’s a First Amendment issue.”
Mayor Carmen Amato, who will be serving the 9th Legislative District as state senator in the new year, agreed that something needed to be done. He said his office gets a lot of complaints about signs.
He told the council that it’s something they should consider in 2024, whether they do what Barnegat did or choose to handle it administratively through the legislative committee.
“It just really littered up the town,” Amato said of the signs.
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