A disability educator raised concerns with the Otago Daily Times last week that, while accessibility on George St had improved since its redevelopment, some businesses were still positioning their shop signs in ways that impeded navigation for impaired people.
After asking the Dunedin City Council about the concerns, the ODT was contacted by Mandy Mayhem who shared emails from last year where she pointed the finger at Cr Weatherall.
It was revealed a blind person had months earlier toppled over the metal sign outside Brent Weatherall Jeweller.
Cr Mayhem claimed Cr Weatherall ‘‘accosted me’’ after she moved his sign because it was always placed in the centre of the footpath’s textured line for visually impaired people.
She yesterday said she saw the sign in this position ‘‘every single day’’.
‘‘It’s not very considerate of others’’, she said.
But Cr Weatherall swiped back and said no-one had ever raised concerns with him about his more than two-decades-old sign — other than her.
‘‘Mandy Mayhem is not the footpath sign police of Dunedin,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s my store's property and she should keep her hands off it.’’
He collided with the Brent Weatherall Jeweller sign and ‘‘toppled over’’, knocking it down with him.
‘‘I just about went arse over cane,’’ Mr Fogarty said.
Back then, he thought it should have been placed further out towards the road.
He collided with other signs in George St ‘‘daily’’ — sandwich boards, cafe tables and chairs also got in his way.
‘‘It just so happens that it belongs to someone that really should know better.’’
Asked about yesterday’s placement of the jeweller’s sign, Mr Fogarty said he believed it was in the correct place.
Cr Mayhem, chairwoman of the council’s disability issues advisory group, said she had asked Cr Weatherall to reposition his sign three times.
But he refused to communicate with her and insisted it needed to come from council staff instead.
‘‘I was actually going to code of conduct him for the way he screamed and yelled at me in a very disrespectful way.
‘‘I thought I'd end up with one of those banned from the store pictures like [former mayor] Aaron [Hawkins].’’
She was unsure of Cr Weatherall’s motive, but the sign placement seemed deliberate, she said.
‘‘I don't know what else I can do except campaign for all sandwich boards to be banned.’’
Cr Weatherall characterised Cr Mayhem’s version of events as ‘‘a total overreaction’’.
‘‘There was no raised voices whatsoever.’’
He did not believe there was any problem with where the sign was; it was never purposefully in the middle of the footpath.
‘‘I’ve never had one person come to me, apart from Cr Mandy Mayhem, criticising about my footpath sign.
‘‘One councillor — that is it.’’
If she had a complaint about his sign, or any footpath sign, it was an operational matter he would be happy to discuss through the appropriate channels at council.
The sign had been in George St for more than 20 years — where it was yesterday was ‘‘no different than any other day’’, Cr Weatherall said.
‘‘I think it's the sexiest sign on George St, as far as footpath signs go.
‘‘I'm more than happy to put it in an appropriate space, if there is such a place.’’
A council spokesperson said it was reminding George St business owners of their obligations when placing signs on the footpath.
Most businesses were very co-operative.
‘‘We are aware of a small number of incidents involving signs causing problems for people with disabilities.’’
