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NORFOLK - There might be no elections on the horizon, but political signs have surfaced as a subject of contention in town.

A resident was unsuccessful in trying to push through a bylaw change for the signs at the recent town meeting.

The petitioner, Walter Byron of Fruit Street, contends existing sign regulations are too restrictive, and argues the window of time for signs to go up and come down is too short.

"This is really free speech, supporting a particular candidate," Byron said at town meeting.

The resident said last week he was told by a representative from the town's building department he had to take down his two Barack Obama signs around Labor Day or would face a fine. Byron took the signs down and put them up in October to adhere to the town bylaw, which calls for candidate signs for local and national elections to be put up no earlier than 30 days before an election and removed no later than two days after the vote.

Bryon's proposed bylaw would have allowed for two signs, for presidential elections, to be put up the day candidates accept their party's nomination for office and removed no later than two days after the election.

Selectman Rob Garrity, a former zoning board member, adamantly opposed the proposal on town meeting floor, but on the grounds of what the existing rules spelled out.

"This is an unconstitutional bylaw," Garrity said, referring to the limit of two signs. "You are infringing on my political speech. Only two candidates. What do I do, hold a raffle?"

Advisory board members agreed with Byron's sentiments, but recommended the request be indefinitely postponed, saying the request was ambiguous because the expanded time frame for signs could possibly apply to candidates in local, as well as national elections.

Resident and local attorney Jay Talerman said the proposal might cause more problems - and be unconstitutional - by differentiating between political races.

"We often get in trouble amending on the fly," Town Administrator Jack Hathaway said, successfully recommending handing over the matter to the bylaw study committee and returning with an amended bylaw at the fall town meeting.

"I haven't given up the fight. I did get a lot of support from the advisory board," Byron said.

STEPHEN PETERSON covers Norfolk for The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at 508-236-0377 or at speterson@thesunchronicle.com.