WENDELL - At the last two town board meetings, Mayor Harold Broadwell has admonished candidates in this year's town board race to familiarize themselves with the town's rules governing campaign signs.

He told candidates the signs have become so pervasive that it was hard to see similar signs advertising last weekend's Harvest Festival.

There's no confusing the fact that it's election season in Wendell. Campaign signs have virtually become the town flower.

They line Wendell Boulevard from one end of town to the other. In many yards, it's not uncommon to find three or more signs spaced apart across the front of the lawn.

Broadwell declined to comment on the issue for this story, but he did say the problem is two-fold.

"Everybody needs to follow the rules. And there are appearance issues. Other than that I don't think I would have anything else to say that I haven't already said in a public meeting with all seven candidates present," Broadwell said.

The town ordinance allows temporary political signs without a permit as long as they are placed out of the right of way and as long as there are no more than 32-square-feet of signage on a single lot. Town Planning Director Teresa Piner said that means a single lot could have about 10 or 11 typical yard signs and still meet the letter of the law.

But not everybody agrees with Broadwell.

Glenn Harris, one of the seven candidates running for the town board this election season, says the signs are a temporary situation. "It's a moot point. It's a temporary political campaign. He didn't seem to be concerned about it two years ago when he ran for office," Harris said.

Town Manager David Bone sent all seven candidates an e-mail last week after Broadwell raised the issue at the town board's Sept. 28 meeting.

In that message, sent last Wednesday, Bone told candidates that the Planning Department would begin enforcing the ordinance the next day.

Piner said her staff picked up about 40 signs.

Christie Adams, another candidate for office, said the number was closer to 80. And, she said, many of the signs picked up by town staff appeared to be from the Mattox Street area and the Pepper Pointe development.

Enforcing the ordinance can create a sticky wicket for town staffers who may find themselves working in a few months for people whose signs they yanked up.

Adams says that won't be an issue for her if she's elected, but Harris said the town staff needs to enforce the ordinance equally across the board.

"The signs in my yard were gone and I know they weren't even in the right of way," Harris said.

Harris said he spoke to Piner and Bone about the sign removal effort, but he would not reveal what he said to them. "That was a private conversation and I'm not going to get into what was said," Harris said.

One of the worst violations in town is at the corner of Hanor Lane and Wendell Boulevard. Amos Greene plans to develop that lot as part of a larger project, but for now, the lot is vacant.

Every candidate in this year's race, except for Lee Batson and Ronald Thompson, have signs on that lot.

The town staff is not permitted to take signs off private property. Piner said she spoke to Greene about the signs and he agreed to contact the candidates about making sure the signs don't run afoul of the town's rules.

James Parham, another candidate running for town board, said he was aware that town staffers had collected some signs from the rights of way, including some of his.

"I knew what the rules were when I first started. At first I didn't put any signs in the right of way. But I noticed another candidate do that and it seemed like nothing was happening and he was getting an unfair advantage, so I put some of my signs out there, too," Parham said. He said he has put about 100 signs up around town.

But Parham said he agrees with Broadwell that appearance is an issue. "I speak about Wendell having to be physically, emotionally and socially attractive so we can attract new residents.

He said the town staff did the proper thing in enforcing the ordinance. "The manager and the town planner were right and I applaud them because they were enforcing the ordinances of the town," Parham said.

Adams, who estimates that she has posted about 180 or 190 signs throughout the town, sounded a defiant note last week.

"We're just going to put our signs right back out there," Adams said. "Everywhere we put a sign, we had permission to put them out there."