[Durham INC] Letter: Kudos to billboard cartoons in Durham News

[John Schelp]

Letter: Kudos to billboard cartoons in newspaper
Durham News, 25 April 2010

Kudos to Dennis Draughon for his wonderful cartoons on the billboard industry's two-year effort to put up electronic billboards in Durham.

His first cartoon shows a smooth-talking billboard lobbyist saying nice things - but Durham residents know it's really all about industry making more money by sticking those bright, blinking billboards in our community.

Draughon's latest cartoon shows the Planning Commission chopping down the billboard with an ax (after their strong 12-0 vote against industry's measure). [See link below]

At the hearing, industry lawyers tried to argue that Durham should have electronic billboards since other North Carolina cities have them.

Yes, we've seen them. That's why more than 500 Durham residents wrote officials to support our successful billboard ban (while only three wrote for digital billboards). The recent independent Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau poll shows 9-to-1 support for Durham's current billboard ban. We don't think industry should be allowed to make its non-conforming billboards permanent fixtures on our roadways.

USA Today reports, "more than a dozen cities around the nation have banned what some consider a growing external driving distraction: digital billboards." Other states and cities have placed a moratorium on digital billboards. Many cities are fighting to get what Durham already has: a billboard ban.

Industry insists that electronic billboards, flashing 10,000 ads a day, are not distractions for drivers. If that's really true, then why are they spending so much money on lawyers and lobbyists to get them?

Facing unified opposition, some industry supporters are now suggesting a "compromise." Anyone calling for a compromise is really saying: "let's gut Durham's sign ordinance and allow big, bright digital billboards blinking ads all day and all night."

That's hardly a compromise. That's exactly what industry wants.

We don't need to open that can or worms. Nor do we need to open ourselves to litigation if the sign ordinance is changed.

There's a clear choice on this issue: our elected officials can either stand with the citizens of Durham - or stand on the side of an out-of-state billboard company and its well-paid lobbyists.

If officials stand with the community, we can look forward to Draughon's next cartoon: a billboard stump and industry lobbyists driving out of Durham - down a tree-lined I-85, with no billboards in sight.

John Schelp
Durham

Last week's cartoon ("Timber")...
http://www.thedurhamnews.com/2010/04/18/201557/dennis-draughon-april-18.html