City Council Declares November 3rd ‘National Forgive-Your-Neighbor’s-Yard-Sign Day’

The City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday to declare November 3rd “National Forgive-Your-Neighbor’s-Yard-Sign Day,” establishing an annual 24-hour period during which all yard-sign-related grudges are officially, municipally forgiven.

“The election ends. The signs come down. But the resentment lingers,” said Councilwoman Maria Santos, the resolution’s sponsor, who admitted she had personally “side-eyed” a neighbor’s sign placement for three consecutive cycles. “This is about closure. You look at the empty lawn where the sign was, you take a breath, and you remember that Dave from across the street is still the guy who jump-started your car in February.”

The resolution encourages residents to observe the day through small acts of reconciliation: waving at neighbors whose signs they disagreed with, returning borrowed hedge trimmers without comment, and refraining from what the resolution calls “lawn-based editorializing” — the practice of arranging one’s remaining decorations to spell out a message visible from a rival’s porch.

“We had an incident last year where a homeowner arranged 40 pumpkins to spell out a word we cannot print,” said Councilman James Oduya, the lone dissenting vote. “I voted no because forgiveness should be earned, not declared. But I will observe the day. I am not a monster.”

The council’s proclamation includes an official forgiveness script for residents who want guidance. It reads, in full: “Hi. The signs are down. Want to borrow my leaf blower?” City staff printed 5,000 copies, which were distributed at polling places alongside “I Voted” stickers.

Early observance reports are encouraging. “I knocked on my neighbor’s door this morning,” said resident Tom Beckett, 52, of Maple Grove. “I said the line about the leaf blower. He laughed. He said his floodlight incident was behind us. We’re getting coffee Thursday. The council might be onto something.”

The 5,000 printed forgiveness scripts cost the city $212, which Santos called “the best $212 we’ve ever spent.” Councilman Oduya, the dissenting voter, confirmed he observed the day by returning his neighbor’s ladder without mentioning the three months he’d had it. “The ladder was the real grudge,” he admitted. “The sign was just the excuse.” Santos is already drafting next year’s expansion. “The group-chat forgiveness day is going to need a longer script,” she said. “Possibly a workbook.”

Santos confirmed the council will revisit the resolution next year, with a proposed expansion to include “Forgive-Your-Cousin’s-Group-Chat-Behavior Day” on November 4th. “One day at a time,” she said. “Democracy heals in stages.”