Can a politician be just a resident?

Unconvinced that a stop sign was needed on Hillside and Amethyst, Supervisor Paul Biane wrote a letter to the city expressing his wish that the sign be removed after preliminary construction on a fire station is finished.

Two months later, the city took down the stop sign, saying a traffic study determined it was no longer necessary.

Residents who want the stop sign are very annoyed. They're convinced that the supervisor and former councilman, who currently lives less than a mile north of the intersection, is the only reason why the sign is no longer there.

Biane's office was very clear that the letter was written by Biane as a resident, not an elected official. But can Biane -- one of the most well known residents in the city, whose name is known by every person who has used the library -- weigh in on a neighborhood issue without the appearance of political influence? Can he be just a resident?