'Signs, signs every where a sign'

NSBNEWSNEWS.net video by Sera Frederick. NSBNEWS.net photo by Henry Frederick. The video is set to the song "Signs" by the 5 Man Electrical Band and highlights campaigns signs in the 2009 NSB Elections. In the photo, Bill Maul holds up a double sign for Mayor Sally Mackay during Early Voting for the Sept. 22 primary at the New Smyrna Beach Regional Library.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Bill Maul stood in the blistering sun Saturday for the last two hours of Early Voting at the New Smyrna Beach Regional Library with a double sign in one hand while waving to passing voters with the other for his candidate of choice, incumbent Mayor Sally Mackay. And at 73, the retired sales and marketing man is the first to tell you he's no spring chicken.

Maul's attitude is if he can deal with the Florida heat, then many of the city's 17,000-plus registered voters can get in their air-conditioned vehicles and go to the polls today -- Primary Day -- and vote.

"I think it's very important to do that," he said. "I don't think you should complain about representation without voting in who you want." Maul is among literally several hundred volunteers for the nine candidates -- three each for mayor and two commission seats -- who will taking to the streets today to encourage fellow New Smyrnans to go vote.

The candidates have been very creative this election season in their mode of campaign signage. Mackay rented the former Pennysaver/News-Journal bureau office on Canal Street where she has a couple of large signs.

Supporters of one of her opponents, Adam Barringer, put up a huge banner across a building on the North Causeway and still another opponent, Marilee Walters,  rented a Segway and motored around Flagler Avenue as a human billboard.

Reaching for new heights, Barringer's campaign hired an airplane pilot to fly a banner with his election bid on it two Fridays ago before the start of the 'Cudas football game in front of hundreds at New Smyrna Beach Stadium.

Steve Sather, a candidate for Zone 2 commissioner had a life-size likeness of him, plastered on his wife's convertible, which is a half-foot taller than him. Zone 2 incumbent Jack Grasty and Palmer Wilson, the second challenger, went with traditional signs, though Wilson has two larger ones with his platform on U.S. 1.

Zone 1 challenger Judy Reiker has her face adorned on many of her signs with her slogan, "All Together Better!" while fellow challenger Frank Dalton Jr. and incumbent Randy Richenberg opted for the more traditional campaign signs.

At least half the candidates had volunteers holding signs and waving to motorists Monday afternoon on the No. 1 intersection in the city for traffic -- U.S. 1 and Canal Street and there will be plenty more throughout the day today.

All nine candidates have paid NSBNEWS.net to "blast" their ads with the Web site's breaking news stories to 5,000 e-mail subscribers, in addition to their rotating ads on the home page, demonstrating the strength of 21st century media technology.

So no matter where you go today, there will be plenty of visible "signs" and shouting supporters urging their fellow voters to go to the polls and vote.

And, oh yes, there will be even more supporters carrying signs outside the voting precincts hoping to sway you to vote for their guy or gal.