Dave Devine wrote about the Historic Sign Ordinance debate in last Thursday's issue:

Two years ago, when the City Council began discussing the preservation of Tucson's historic signs, the focus was on "restoration, adaptive reuse, and relocation." Today, a proposed ordinance would also allow exact replicas of signs in place prior to 1961.

"We lost so many (historic) signs; 90 percent of them are gone," laments Carlos Lozano, chair of the subcommittee that prepared the proposal. "Bearing that in mind, along with the huge expense and (the sign) not advertising a current business, why not allow them?"

Tucson's historic preservation officer, Jonathan Mabry, doubts that many replicas will be installed. However, Kathy McLaughlin, a member of the Citizens' Sign Code Committee, has another perspective.

"I suspect there are (sign) interests who would love to sell and put up replicas," McLaughlin warns. "There are ways this ordinance can be exploited that way."

Tonight there's a public meeting on the subject at 5:30 pm in the City Hall's Chambers, if you'd like to weigh in.