The city has fined 29 political candidates and organizations a total of $26,250 for the cost of removing campaign signs illegally placed in median strips.

The biggest offender, according to city records released last week: Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend's campaign. Transportation workers had to pull 1,005 of the Democrat's signs. The city is charging $10 each, so her bill is $10,050.

Her Republican opponent, Gov.-elect Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., racked up a fine of $1,580.

The Maryland Democratic Party received the second-highest bill, for $6,060. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People came in third with a $3,390 fine.

It is illegal to post signs on public property or property controlled by utilities, including median strips and light poles. The flurry of campaign signs this year prompted the city to crack down, Transportation Director Alfred H. Foxx Jr. said. "We're trying to beautify our gateways ... so that those coming into the city ... would not have to put up with a lot of trash," he said.