|
|
 |
 Those Folks Advertising Their Wares On Utility Poles Are Breaking The Law. By Dave Devine Q: What do you call a Tucson attorney who doesn't advertise? A: "Oh, waitperson!" Until recently, your choices in looking for legal help in order to sue that S.O.B. or to fight that DUI were several. You could skim through the 85 pages of listings under "Attorneys" in the telephone book. The Pima County Bar Association offers a referral service. You could depend upon a recommendation from a friend. Or you could see The Eagle, Harold and the rest of the gang pitching their product on TV.
If you phone, you might get a return call, but from a different number. Eli Holland, who isn't a lawyer himself, will tell you his company has 6,000 attorneys working for it. At least that's what he said when The Weekly called. Because we asked him early on if he knew his street signs were illegal, Holland apparently wasn't in a mood to chat. In fact, he said: "Our conversation is over!" At any rate, Holland's business just might need an attorney. According to the Tucson City Code, Section 11-57(3)(a), it's unlawful to post signs on utility poles. Punishment includes removal of the signs and a fine of between $100 and $2,500 if there are more than 50 signs involved. From the looks of things, the "Need an Attorney?" ads may qualify in that category. Utility poles have been used for years as neighborhood bulletin boards--to post notices of yard sales, lost animals and other local issues. But the recent use of poles as backstops for professionally produced, colorful signs printed on durable plastic board is a relatively new twist in business promotion. Along Tucson's major streets today, in addition to the so-called Attorney Help Line, you can find out about several weight-loss programs, health insurance for the self-employed, and high-paying jobs for students. Most of these signs have been put up by local small-business people just trying to earn a living. The weight-loss signs are everywhere. They proclaim you can lose 30 pounds in 30 days for $30. But in very tiny print, so small you can't read it from the street--in fact you can hardly read it without a microscope--there are some caveats. The signs say, "lose up to 30 pounds" and "programs start at $30." The sign offering $9.75/hour jobs to students sounds too good to be true. After the friendly lady who answers the phone asks if you're 18 or older--she complains she gets a lot of calls from 12-year-olds--she tells you the pay is a fixed rate, not commission. For that money, you'll be selling housewares and outdoor accessories. So all you women coming off welfare out there, forget the burger-flipping, toilet-cleaning, low-paying jobs you though you'd have to take. Become a student and get paid the big bucks. Of course, those killjoys with the city sign code enforcement office track down those who put up these signs. The law says they have to be removed, and if the offender won't do it, city workers and the staff of the anti-graffiti program will. Tucson Electric Power Company officials don't like the signs either. They can pose a hazard to repair crews. A rip in a protective suit caused by a staple or nail could increase the possibility of a shock for someone working on a high-power electrical line. While utility poles are common ad venues, their availability may be fading--these signs are found almost exclusively in the established parts of town because the old, splintery wooden poles to which the signs are nailed just don't seem to exist in the new parts of Tucson.
But somehow, we suspect, the "Need An Attorney?" signs
of the future will continue to greet us as we drive Tucson's streets.
|
 |
Home | Currents | City Week | Music | Review | Books | Cinema | Back Page | Archives
|
 |
© 1995-97 Tucson Weekly . Info Booth |
|
But now you have another option, thanks to the folks at "Prepaid
Legal," the outfit that has beautified Tucson's utility poles
with fancy signs reading: "Need An Attorney? Call the Legal
Help Line-Free."
