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Council postpones vote on Monroeville billboards

Council postpones vote on Monroeville billboards

The debate on whether a New Jersey company may place big billboards along the Parkway East in Monroeville, a contentious subject that polarized residents and officials alike when it was first proposed two years ago, is back.

And true to form, the question of an ordinance calling for an overlay district to allow bigger billboards along portions of the Parkway from the Pennsylvania Turnpike leading into Pittsburgh, caused an uproar at Monroeville's council meeting Tuesday.

But unlike other instances when residents protested council's action, this time they were offended by its inaction.

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More than a year after Monroeville Mayor James Lomeo vetoed a similar ordinance, council once again considered a revised version of the ordinance.

But this time, the debate wasn't about enacting the ordinance. It was about postponing the decision to enact it.

In a letter sent to Monroeville officials, law firm Cohen & Grigsby asked council to postpone considering the ordinance until June 12. Cohen & Grigsby represents New Jersey-based Interstate Outdoor Advertising Co., which in 2005 tried to build four double-sided billboards along the Parkway.

That did not sit well with about 30 residents opposed to the ordinance and the notion that an out-of-state company should dictate to Monroeville when or how to consider the matter.

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"It just seems that a year ago we were here on the same issue. I would like to know why it's being postponed today," said Pat Winter.

Some residents, like Bernhard Erb, wondered if council was postponing its decision to avoid being held accountable for the decision in May's primary.

Noting the pace at which the billboard ordinance had moved through council, Mayor Lomeo cautioned officials not to act hastily and to avoid the perception of being controlled by Interstate Outdoor Advertising Co.

That the revised ordinance was basically written by the company's attorneys was not a secret, Mr. Lomeo said. He asked why council couldn't act without the company present.

Councilman John Danzilli Jr., who later made the motion to table the ordinance, explained that it was being postponed out of courtesy to the company, as council has done for other parties.

The motion to table was approved 5-2, with Deborah Hartwick and David Kucherer opposed.

However, Mr. Lomeo said council would have to consider it at the next meeting in April whether Interstate Outdoor Advertising Co. was present.

Following a suggestion from a number of residents, council then considered whether the issue could be placed on May's ballot as a referendum.

Mr. Dice advised council that it was too late for a referendum in May.

Not for a ballot question, though, Mayor Lomeo countered.

And in what appeared as the big compromise, Councilman Franci moved that council consider adding a ballot question or a referendum to the May ballot, if time allows. The motion was approved unanimously.

First Published: March 15, 2007, 4:00 a.m.

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