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Columbus Dispatch wrote Gov. Ted Strickland went to Cleveland yesterday to defend LeBron James -- in effigy, at least.Strickland held a news conference in front of the towering banner of James, the Cleveland Cavaliers' pro basketball star, near the team's downtown arena to argue that the billboard should not have to come down.
The Ohio Department of Transportation told the advertising company responsible for the 10-story, 212-foot-wide sign on the side of a building to remove it because its size and proximity to a highway violates state law and the federal Highway Beautification Act of 1965.
But after being contacted about the issue by members of the Cleveland City Council, Strickland has halted any effort to remove the sign and asked ODOT and Attorney General Marc Dann to review the laws governing such signs.
That review will apply to oversize signs in Downtown Columbus, which also have been the subject of controversy and a court challenge last year, ODOT spokesman Scott Varner said.
Strickland argues the sign of a soaring James on his way to a slam dunk qualifies more as "commercial art" than advertising for Nike, and that it doesn't fall under the state or federal laws.
The ad in question:
While this particular ad isn't all that unique (other than being HUGE), I love many of the Orange Barrel ads downtown, and appreciate that Strickland is working to get the rules at least REVIEWED, whether or not they're ultimately changed (which hopefully they will be).
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