Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 8, 1995                   TAG: 9511080038
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: ELISSA MILENKY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THE SIGNS? MANY SAY, `WE RECYCLE'

Fifty ways to get rid of your campaign signs.

Now that the election's over, there's got to be a plan, Stan - or so Paul Simon would say. But unlike the lover he slipped out on in song, campaign signs cannot be abandoned.

So what will candidates do with the signs once they collect them from the valley's landscape? An unscientific poll of several campaigns last week revealed a common, inevitable answer.

"Oh, I'm sure the candidates will save them for next time if they win," said James Oliver, campaign manager for Pat Cupp, who was running for state senate.

"We recycle, we definitely recycle," said Ann Hess, campaign manager for incumbent Sen. Madison Marye, D-Shawsville. She added that half of the 29 wooden, 4x4 signs scattered throughout the 39th District District for Marye "came out of the senator's barn."

Many Southwest Virginia counties, towns and cities have ordinances that dictate when campaign signs must come down. Montgomery County treats them as temporary signs, which only can be up for 90 consecutive days. In Giles County, campaign signs must be removed within five days after the election and cannot be up for more than 60 consecutive days. Pulaski County is in the process of developing a sign ordinance.

Blacksburg Town Manager Ron Secrist sent a letter to the Republican and Democratic parties that spelled out the rules: signs must be down within seven days of the election.

"If I happen to see some [after that], I'll just give those people a call," said Greg Dudash, town development technician.

Candidates did come up with a few creative ways of dealing with the sign quandary. Jerry Olinger, who ran for Montgomery County sheriff, said needy families requested the signs so they could use the plywood for skirting trailers and winterizing homes.

"If we win we'll keep some of the better signs," he said Friday.

Cupp also might put the signs to constructive use. "Mr. Cupp is a builder, so maybe he'll use them to build something," Oliver said.

Incumbent Del. Jim Shuler, D-Blacksburg, who put up new yard signs proclaiming "This is Shuler Country" just before the election, will use the signs to thank his supporters. Stickers with the words "thank you" will be placed on the more than 100 signs, win or lose.

"You have no guarantees until Tuesday night," Tom Zuckerwar, who is on Shuler's campaign staff, said last week. "Regardless, we'll put up our thank yous."

Shuler's challenger, Larry Linkous, simply said his signs will "be put to good use."

One environmentally conscious candidate made his own plywood signs, which already have been taken down. Jim Klagge, a District F school board candidate, has about a dozen signs and will store them for awhile, just in case he runs for office again.

Not everyone running this year had to worry about campaign signs, however.

"The big wooden ones?" asked Del. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem. "I don't have any out this year 'cause I'm unopposed. I'll tell you what I did last time. Two years ago, I went out and collected them all. They're sitting in the basement just waiting for someone to challenge me."