Sept. 17. By Dave Yochum. Political signs are starting to go up, with potentially hundreds more to come. Most coveted locations: Trees along West Catawba with mounds of soft mulch that can accommodate the wiry but bendy metal frames.

Commissioner Jim Duke got his signs out first, with Mike Miltich a close second. Duke has offered to move some of his signs so other candidates can have good spots too.

Candidates—there are nine running for five seats on the Town Board—order roadside signs at $4 to $6 a piece.

One candidate, former commissioner Dave Gilroy, suggested that candidates agree to forego political signs this year. As in past campaigns, that didn’t happen.

First-time candidate Colin Furcht said he decided to keep signs out of public roadways and put 100 in supporters’ yards.

Furcht

“No one I spoke to told me they voted for someone based on a sign they saw on the road. Frankly, most folks are annoyed by them, especially when they are clustered together at every intersection in town,” he said.

Early voting

Early voting gets under way Oct. 14 at the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections at 741 Kenilworth Ave. in Charlotte. Then additional locations open Oct. 21, including Town Hall in Cornelius. That’s when you’ll start to see candidates—and signs—outside.

Other Early Voting sites include Davidson Library and the North County Regional Library on Holly Crest Lane in Huntersville.

For times to vote, click here.

Signs code

Signs, as per town code, must be down within 10 days of the election. The election is Nov. 2, so there’s only about two more months of signs remaining.

To view the local sign ordinance, click here.