Grosse Pointe Woods Council Denies Neon Sign Appeals

Eight businesses lost their appeal Monday night to keep their neon signs after council repeatedly denied each one individually. There was little discussion among council members during each vote.

Dozens of people attended the meeting. Their unrest became obvious as some yelled out from the audience and talked amongst each other noting "what a joke" the meeting was turning out to be.

Councilwoman Lisa Pinkos Howle, with the exception of one vote concerning an interior neon sign, stood alone during the meeting, repeatedly motioning to grant the businesses their appeal and allow the signs to stay.

Among the only debates at the meeting was determining the actual date neon signs were banned in the city. During the meeting, Councilman Joseph Sucher provided at least four years to date the ban and at one point, pulled an ordinance book stating Jan. 1, 1976.

The reason the signs are at issue now is because of an ordinance passed in 2002, which grandfathered in those in existence for eight years. The signs were to be removed by mid-October 2010 and this is when the appeals began before the city's planning commission.

Representatives for six of the eight businesses attended the meeting and each explained how removal of the signs would impact and detract from their business. Collectively these representatives turned in hundreds of petitions from Woods residents in support of the neon signs—a fact Pinkos Howle repeatedly noted in her unsupported motions. 

Some of the businesses, including and , are considering further legal action. may also join the effort, co-owner Alan Domzalski said after the meeting.

Attorney Gary M. Wilson, who represents Merit Woods Pharmacy and Little Tony's, said although he could file an injunction with the court tomorrow, he will wait to see if any other resolution that will not cost his clients more money can be reached. But if it comes to it, the injunction will be filed, he said.

The owners were disappointed following the meeting, sharing their disbelief in the hallway outside council chambers. 

"It was the same thing with planning commission," Little Tony's owner Carolyn Alfonsi said. "Not to even consider, to all have quick answers. They must have had many meetings before to decide."

Each of the eight businesses provided unique reason to keep their signs.

, 20563 Mack Ave., has had its neon sign up in the window since 1952 and never had a complaint, third-generation owner David Reed said. Reed handed hundreds of petitions over to the council for their review in support of his sign.

He described his sign as a landmark and a piece of Woods history. He argued to council he should be allowed to keep his sign until he sells the building or goes out of business, noting a proclamation given to him by the city eight years ago. 

"It means nothing to me without the sign," Reed said, noting to councilwoman Vicki Granger how her husband, son and grandson frequent the business. 

Afterward, Reed was sad. He said he will discuss whether further legal action is the right step to take. For now, though, he isn't turning off his sign.

In another case, Dentist David Secord told council he received five beautification awards from the city in his six years at his current location, 20259 Mack Ave., with his neon sign. His neon sign is actually inside his business but can be seen from the street, which violates the ordinance according to building inspector Gene Tutag. The sign is part of a game room Secord has for his patients. 

This is the one appeal where another council member voted to allow him to keep his sign. Councilwoman Vicki Granger voted with Pinkos Howle to allow the sign, but they were out-voted by the remaining council members. 

Repeatedly, Pinkos Howle motioned to grant an exception to the ordinance for each business, giving specific reasons about each. She repeatedly spoke about how this is not supporting the businesses, which she said should be part of the job of the council. 

She also shared how she's never heard complaints from residents since she first began campaigning for her council seat in 2003. And she's asked, she said. 

Each time Pinkos Howle did not receive any support, Sucher motioned to deny the appeal and read off a scripted motion, which was supported every time by councilman Todd McConaghy. 

Sucher did address the idea of appealing the ordinance but told the crowded room the ordinance was not at issue. He said the council was to address whether the signs were violating the law. 

Throughout the meeting, speakers addressing the council questioned the process of the appeals and how they were being handled, at one point even stating it was not truly a democratic process. 

Pinkos Howle made a motion, again without any support, to shelve the denials for 30 days to see if council could revisit the ordinance. 

Many of the business owners expressed irritation with having to pay the city $150 for their appeal and then being made to feel like Monday was a waste of their time. 

Reed, owner of McCubbin's, asked one of the attorneys if he could take the historic picture of his business hanging in the hallway outside council chambers after he left the meeting.

While the businesses were denied an exemption to the neon sign ordinance, their lights will not necessarily be turned off immediately.

The lights that outline the windows of Little Tony's are hardwired into the lighting network, which means if Alfonsi turns them off the entire front portion of her business would be in the dark, she said. She has to hire an electrician to remove them, she said.