Sign law sent back to City Council

A new sign ordinance that some say would dramatically alter the Cambridge skyline is in doubt this week after a coalition collected enough signatures to force the City Council to either rescind the law or put the issue before voters next year.

Earlier this week the Elections Commission certified 11,461 of 15,535 signatures submitted by the coalition Save Our Skyline, forcing the measure back to the council.

"We hope the City Council will act quickly to rescind the amendment," said Karen Schwartzman, the coalition's spokeswoman.

Opponents have until 5 p.m. today to challenge the certification, and City Hall, which normally closes at noon on Fridays, will remain open to accommodate them, said Lesley Waxman, assistant director at the Elections Commission.

The turn of events this week is an embarrassing blow to city officials over what they call minor changes to Cambridge's zoning law.

The amendment would make it easier for companies to put signs on buildings along a stretch of Memorial Drive.

"There has been a tremendous amount of misinformation and exaggeration that has gone on throughout this discussion," said Susan Glazer, acting assisting city manager for community development.

"We think that this is a well-thought-out piece of legislation, and it balances the needs of good designs and concerns of the citizens and the business community."

Richard Rossi, deputy city manager, said he has heard signature gatherers tell people that the ordinance would destroy the Cambridge skyline with large corporate ads, which he called an unfounded exaggeration.

"They were fabricating stories and telling lies," Rossi said, promising to release accurate information about the ordinance next week.

Schwartzman said that while she does not doubt that eager workers might have embellished a bit when collecting signatures, the coalition has logged draft changes of the ordinance on its website throughout the process.

The City Council, which voted 6-3 to allow the zoning change last month, is expected to take up the issue Monday.

None of the nine councilors contacted yesterday returned Globe calls seeking comment.

(Published by The Boston Globe - October 22, 2010)