Dear Mr. Capsis:
I’ve seen several articles and letters in WestView discussing the problem of illegal advertising and graffiti in the area. In one letter, Chief Christopher Klingler, Head of Enforcement at the Department of Sanitation (DoS), responds and includes information on how to make a complaint and that the department will take action.
I have been fighting illegal locksmith and gate stickers for years and helped lead the effort to make them illegal back in 2004. Many people worked hard to get all of the stakeholders in city government together to craft the law and how to enforce it. Once the law was in place, the head of DoS at the time, Commissioner Doherty employed a one-time sting operation to identify the perpetrators, fine them, and break the cycle of illegal locksmith/gate stickers. It was very effective and didn’t require many resources.
Sadly, now in 2018 the problem is back, way city-wide. Unfortunately, DoS does not enforce the law unless a 311 complaint is made, in spite of how visible the problem is. I went to file a complaint today and found that the city no longer takes complaints for stickers on private property. The DoS needs to be held accountable for enforcing the law.
I’m hoping that you will share this information with your readers and perhaps even join me in an effort raise awareness of the growing illegal advertising issue, and hold DoS accountable for enforcement.
— Peter Yorgin
Peter:
Thank you for reporting a sticker villain. We propose the following as remedy:
To Councilman and City Council Speaker, Corey Johnson:
We have run several articles from irate readers on the callous and indiscriminate use of advertising stickers on lamp posts and letter boxes and we suggest a city regulation. If a person discovers an offending sticker he may capture an image of it with his cell phone and email it to the proper city office with time and location—and that offender will be subject to a fine.
—George Capsis
