Cary sees signs: Sam the sham must scram.

• Author: Maley, Frank
• Position: TAR HEEL TATTLER

The first time Tammy Roberts drove through Cary, she thought it was fictional Stepford come to life. "Even the buildings have a boring look to them."

Many of its houses are white or genteel earth tones. The town regulates the size and number of trees that builders must plant in the yards of new homes. Businesses must keep up appearances, too. They're not allowed to park vehicles bearing the company name out front if the name is legible from the road. Those are considered illegal portable signs.

You might think a tax consultant would fit in like mortgage interest on a deduction worksheet. But you'd be wrong. To promote her Liberty Tax Service franchise, Roberts dressed up two women--one as Uncle Sam, the other as Lady Liberty--then had them walk along Maynard Road in front of her office toting signs directing passing motorists into the parking lot. It's a tactic Liberty franchisees often use. Town officials responded with citations for using illegal signs. So she had her actors walk along Maynard without signs. Mark Tutor, the town's zoning-compliance supervisor, says that's a no-no, too. "If it was kids on Halloween walking up and down the sidewalk, then, no, that's not a violation. That's not in any shape, form or fashion meant be a commercial message."

Roberts, who hails from the mountains of Virginia and bought her Liberty franchise in Cary in July, insists her costumed...