Local

Oversize political signs mean heavy fines for Federal Way's pot proposition

Over the last week, anyone driving north on Pacific Highway South in Federal Way could clearly see Tom Cantrell's official-looking all-caps message on an electronic reader board: "PLEASE VOTE NO, PROP ONE."

"I wanted to put a sign up and I wanted it to be seen well," said Cantrell, who rented the board and placed it on the corner of his business property. I wanted to call attention to Prop One."

If voters pass Prop One in November, it would lift the current ban on marijuana retail stores in Federal Way.

In November 2015, voters in Federal Way advised the city council to ban retail cannabis stores in the city limits in a nonbinding advisory ballot — despite the previous statewide vote in 2012 to legalize recreational usage — with 9,117 voting no (about 61%) and 5,737 voting yes. The council subsequently voted to ban the businesses from opening in the city, according to the Federal Way Mirror. 

Cantrell objects to a potential pot store being a few blocks from Federal Way High School.

"I don't think that any drug should be classified as recreational in front of our kids, he said."

But Cantrell soon heard from city officials that his sign violated city code.

"I think it's free speech," said Cantrell. "The bad news is the city doesn't.''

Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell told KIRO 7 political signs in the city can be no larger than two feet by three feet. Cantrell's sign is several times larger than that.

The city gave Cantrell five days to remove the sign.

"I said I can't do that," Cantrell said. He stuck by his sign, and agreed to pay a big fine for his cause.

"It's $100 the first day, $200 dollars the second day, $300 for every day after that," he said.

Then on Thursday afternoon, the "Yes on Prop One" campaign decided to put up the exact same kind of sign, down the street from Cantrell's, on the site where the cannabis store would be opened by the current owner of a similar retail store in Issaquah.

"Now they see two signs in a row that say the opposite messaging," said Allison Taylor, who runs the "Yes on Prop One" campaign. "The 'Yes Campaign' is fully prepared to take our sign down as soon as Mr. Cantrell takes his down."

Both sides plan to leave the signs up and pay the heavy fines to send their messages to voters.

"We are prepared to fight fire with fire," Taylor said. "This is not something we are excited about. Let me be very clear, we are prepared to make sure the messaging is equal.''

Cantrell said he hopes voters will be inspired to look deeper into the issue. "I feel strongly about the issue so I'm going to pay (the fines). As a father and a grandfather, I just don't understand why we need to sell that in town. We have stores within ten minutes, on every approach to Federal Way."