A large part of the electioneering that is concomitant with varying campaigns, be it local government or general polls, is the mounting of party flags, signs, and other paraphernalia.

Yes, there are guidelines observed before the election, but the upshot is that when the revelry is all over the constituencies remain littered with pieces of board, fabric, or whatever material bore the party colour and image of candidates.

Many town centres and communities remain unsightly, with bits and pieces thrashed about by Mother Nature, some even migrating to new sites before long finding lodging in drains and gullies. This creates a whole other environmental hazard.

The recent general election campaign for the nation’s 19th run at the polls has been no different, and the sights are visible islandwide.

Against this background, we in this space cannot help but support the conversation facilitated at the general sitting of the council at the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

Led by Mayor of Kingston Councillor Andrew Swaby, the members exchanged views on a proposal to implement a system to manage this cycle of assault on the physical environment.

Among the considerations is an application fee for the display of political campaign material that will eventually assist with post-election clean-up.

“This includes the removal of political signs, flags, draping, and other material from the streets and communities. Presently, political parties are not required to pay any fees to the KSAMC for placing campaign materials across the municipality. I believe the time has come for us to review this arrangement,” Mayor Swaby said.

The conversation included talk of the deposit of a refundable bond before erecting campaign signs and advertisements.

“This bond will be refunded if all campaign materials are removed within a specific period following the elections. However, if the materials remain, the KSAMC should retain the funds to cover the cost of removal,” he explained.

There is no intention to reinvent the wheel. The mayor explained that: “As a matter of policy, we should seek to enforce the timeline stated by the political ombudsman regarding the removal of all campaign paraphernalia within 14 days after the election. This measure will help to ensure that our public and residential spaces remain clean, safe and orderly.”

That is the mission: Clean, safe, and orderly spaces.

We rise in support of this proposal and trust that the councillors on both sides will see the virtue in such an arrangement, as moral suasion has not worked, having already written to the general secretaries of the two major political parties requesting that they ensure the removal of all campaign material.

“Now that elections are over, our focus must return to the cleaning and beautification of our municipality,” said Mr Swaby.

No doubt this should be the mission across all municipal corporations and adoption of this model should garner wholesale support and implementation.

The hope is that this is not seen as penal, but rather an attempt at behaviour modification in the interest of better-maintained public spaces.