ST JAMES, Jamaica— The St James Municipal Corporation were again on the move, removing illegally placed signs, this time in the vicinity of the Sangster International Airport.

On Friday morning, 20 signs bearing wording that spoke to a current geopolitical situation in the Middle East were taken down by members of the enforcement team under the watchful eye of Mayor Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon.

“I know that we often have legitimate expectations based on culture to go around and do things because we think it is normal but sometimes what becomes the norm also becomes a breach of law and not because we have practiced many of these things over the years to just randomly do things, means that it is right,” the mayor told reporters on Friday morning.

“There is a right way to do things, and if you are going to erect signs anywhere in the city of Montego Bay and the municipality of St James and you need consent, seek consent, reach out to the local authority and do the right thing,” he said.

The signs were posted on palm trees along the roadway and were printed on a board-like material and nailed to the trees. The team from the corporation wasted no time in removing them, and the mayor advised that the signs will be stored until they are retrieved.

The mayor said that the signs come at a time when the parish is set to host a major event next week.

“What we have noticed is that there is some political messaging on the sign, and I guess we can all identify what it is all about and conveniently placed at the airport days before we have the Caricom (Caribbean Community) conference that will be close to this section,” he said.

“Now, while we do not support violence anywhere in the world and we want war to end all over, there is a way to deal with matters when it comes on to our city space, particularly when you have move to change political messaging from just regular expression to signs and when you move it to signs, it becomes a responsibility of the local authority to address,” he disclosed.

Using the Town and Country Planning Act, 1978 as a guide, he explained to individuals the process of getting signs erected within the municipality.

“It tells you how you are supposed to advertise, when you are supposed to advertise, where you are supposed to advertise, so it’s all about regulating the sign, not the messaging,” he said.

“What persons should understand is that there are two main ways in which signs are permitted, one deemed by the law to be a consented sign and also one given by the corporation as consent to place your signs,” he added.

“Whether you are getting consent from the law or you are getting consent from the municipal corporation, one thing remains clear: you need consent from the property owner. Right along the area or wherever you are in Montego Bay, someone owns that property, might be private property or public property,” he also remarked.

The lands in question fall under the purview of the National Works Agency (NWA), but the mayor again sought to urge individuals to do what is right when it comes to these matters.

“I am asking the persons associated with them to cease and desist from posting these signs within the area or wherever in Montego Bay. If you want to post signs, seek permission from the corporation. If you want to use our revenue area, you pay to use that. That is just the law, and that is what we are asking persons to do,” he said.

Mayor Montego Bay Councillor Richard Vernon