Signs Of The Times

[October 11th, 2006] There's a reason Republicans have such an advantage in political signage along Oregon highways, and it's not Democratic incompetence.

Last week, Oregonian columnist Steve Duin lit into Gov. Ted Kulongoski's campaign for its failure to get lawn and roadside signs printed in a timely fashion. But even if Kulongoski had his signs ready to go, the man who dominates Interstate 5 between here and Salem, along with many of the busiest thoroughfares in Clackamas and Yamhill counties, wouldn't put them up.

"I just do this for people who can further the conservative Republican agenda," says Cliff Zauner, a retired two-term state representative from Woodburn. "I wouldn't do it for Kulongoski for any amount of money."

Except for a single Kulongoski sign and eight that Democratic House candidate Chuck Leesnuck placed near Salem , Zauner has given Republicans a lock on the well-traveled central I-5 corridor.

Zauner, 72, grew up in Woodburn and has come to know many of the farmers who own land along I-5, and highways 99W and 99E. His legislative district also formerly stretched to Newberg, which helped him build contacts along Yamhill County's busiest roads. The signs Zauner erects along I-205, and highways 224 and 212 in Clackamas County, are the result of a long friendship with one of the area's largest property owners, Terry Emmert.

Zauner ascribes his initial affinity for highway signs to financial necessity. When he first ran for the Legislature in 2000, he had little money for campaigning so he erected a series of humorous signs along I-5 such as, "Politicians are like diapers, they need to be changed from time to time."

Zauner says politicians noticed the signs and began asking him how they could get their names in the same space. Although some political consultants roll their eyes at the mention of signs, Zauner says nearly 100,000 vehicles go past Woodburn daily on I-5. "There's not a whole lot else to look at when you're driving, so the signs get attention," he says.

After winning his race in 2000, the former broadcaster and radio-station owner soon began putting up signs for others. In the current election he's putting up signs for Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Saxton, a handful of GOP legislative candidates and Measure 43, which would require parental notification for girls between 15 and 17 who seek an abortion.

Zauner says he puts up the signs as a service to the conservative movement, not for profit. He rents equipment from State Rep. Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer) and her husband, then bills the various campaigns for his work at the end of the campaign.

He says he put up about 250 signs for the May primary and another 200 or so for the general election. Simple signs with bright colors work best, he says. Republican gubernatorial candidate Jason Atkinson used yellow in the primary and sunlight made it hard to read. (Contested Republican primaries pose a dilemma for Zauner; this year he agreed to put up signs for Saxton, Atkinson and Kevin Mannix. "I tell them I'll treat 'em all the same and don't want to hear any complaints about placement," Zauner says.)

He does not pay the farmers for allowing him to put up signs on their property, although he always seeks permission.

"If I give them a bottle of whiskey, they appreciate it," Zauner says.