Lamar swaps Sprint banners on 'Bayer sign' despite Pittsburgh's lawsuit
Lamar Advertising offered to give Pittsburgh a landmark sign atop Mt. Washington that the two sides have been feuding over for more than a year, but the city refused, according to the company's lawyer.
Downtown attorney Jonathan Kamin said the offer came amid negotiations over various pending lawsuits between the city and Lamar.
"We were in global settlement talks with the city, which would have involved us giving that board to them, but the city didn't want it," Kamin said.
Mayor Bill Peduto's Chief of Staff Kevin Acklin confirmed the offer, but said Lamar's conditions were too steep.
"There was a lot at stake in that settlement agreement, including the shelving of the billboard tax," Acklin said.
Lamar is challenging the 2012 tax in court and the city has never enforced it.
Lamar on Saturday changed a message on the Mt. Washington sign, drawing fire once again from city officials who contend it is illegal. The banner remains an advertisement for Sprint and reads "Connecting the City of Champions." The old sign said "Pittsburgh WINS with Black & Yellow."
"We believe this is a blatent violation of the city's zoning code," Acklin said.
Pittsburgh's Department of Permits Licenses and Inspections served Lamar with a violation notice last year after the company pasted the first Sprint ad on the 32-by-225-foot sign that had been, for years, an electronic billboard for Bayer Co.
"It's a billboard, and like any billboard, Sprint wanted to go ahead and update their message, which every advertiser has a right to do," Kamin said.
Sprint wanted the sign changed to reflect a new marketing campaign, according to a blog post by Mark Nachman, Sprint's president for Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
"We know no better way to show our Pittsburgh pride than to celebrate champions everywhere across this city — in our stores, on television and even on Mt. Washington," he wrote.
Peduto on Monday fired off a tweet to Nachman calling on Sprint to tear down the sign.
You do realize this sign is illegal & Pittsburgh is suing @sprint right? Time to do the right thing @marceloclaure -tear down this sign! https://t.co/Yu05XdhZOL
" bill peduto (@billpeduto) June 26, 2017
Lamar is appealing a Zoning Board of Adjustment ruling that the sign violates city zoning regulations. The city in February sued Lamar seeking a court order to have the sign removed.
Acklin said Lamar has threatened to cancel agreements for lease of property it owns to several community groups and a Mt. Washington restaurant, telling them to "call the mayor's office." The community groups were planning green infrastructure projects on the property and the restaurant wanted to expand its deck onto Lamar property.
Kamin could not be reached later in the day for comment.
Earlier, Kamin said Lamar is fighting to protect its right to operate in the city.
Baton Rouge, La.-based Lamar is one of the world's largest outdoor advertisers with more than 330,000 displays across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, according to the company website.
"When you have legally permitted uses and billboards, that's an important part of our business," Kamin said. "(The Mt. Washington sign) is a tremendous asset and it's worth fighting to protect."
About 900 of Lamar's signs are in Pittsburgh, according to Dave Demko, assistant director of Scenic Pittsburgh, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the region's scenic resources. He said the organization opposes the Mt. Washington sign.
"We'd like to see it go away as an advertising billboard," he said. "We think a Pittsburgh landmark sign, similar to the Hollywood sign, would be appropriate for that location."
Bob Bauder is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-765-2312, bbauder@tribweb.com, or @bobbauder.
