JAMESTOWN – The use of tobacco and related products is now prohibited in all city of Jamestown property.
On Monday night the Jamestown City Council approved an amendment to the city code that bans smoking both cigarettes and e-cigarettes, along with the use of all other tobacco related products, from all city parks and public lands. That not only includes any and all areas of the various parks in the city, but also in any city-owned parking facilities and/or grounds, or while traveling in or operating any equipment and/or vehicles owned or leased by the city.
The fine for smoking on any city property will be $50 for the first offense, $100 for the second offense and $250 for the third or subsequent offenses.
The council voted 6 to 1 in favor of the amendment, with at-large councilman George Spitale voting against the measure, while both city council president Greg Rabb and Ward 5 council woman Maria Jones were absent.
Spitale said he made a decision to vote against he measure after hearing from constituents who were against the ban because it infringed on their rights.
“I received quite a few calls about it from veterans,” Spitale said following the vote. “One of the comments was, ‘I donated to the Veterans Park project and now you’re telling me I can’t go to that park, light a cigarette, smoke it, field strip and then put it in my pocket? And if I do I’m going to get a $50 fine?'”
“Another guy said we’re playing the role of big brother, like [former New York City Mayor Michael] Bloomberg did. Pretty soon the city will be telling us what size soda we should drinking,” Spitale said, alluding to New York City’s Sugary Drinks Portion Cap Rule of 2013.
Spitale also said he didn’t support ticketing and imposing a fine on people who broke the law because he felt the city police have more important things to focus on.
“We have enough problems in this city where the police don’t need to be arresting people for smoking,” he said.
Ken Dahlgren with the Tri-County Tobacco Coalition.
Prior to the vote, two members of the public addressed the city council, saying they supported the measure. Ken Dahlgren with the Tri-County Tobacco Control Coalition said he supports the ban because it would help to improve public health.
“Recent Surgeon General reports have shown that there really is no safe level of second hand smoke, including exposure to outdoor second-hand smoke,” Dahlgren said. “I know sometimes we’re not even aware of the kinds of events that many people can’t attend [because of second hand smoke]. I know I can’t attend the city’s annual Labor Day Festival when there’s the amount of smoking that there is because it physically makes me ill.”
The only other person to publicly comment on the proposed ban was Shelly Wells with the Chautauqua County Health Network, who said that the smoking leads to a variety of health problems and given that the county has one of the highest rates of tobacco users in the state, the community needs to do what it can to try and reduce those numbers.
The tobacco ban will include the use of cigars; pipes; and cigarettes, including electronic cigarettes and vapor devices; and chewing tobacco. The ban will take effect immediately.
There are more smokers in Chautauqua county who smoke and attend almost every event that takes place in the parks and city owned streets. So for all the non smokers who attend these events which make up less the population who do smoke and attend. The city and those who sell there things at these events will be losing a huge profit that come from those who attend and smoke. Because no one who smokes who attend these events are going to want to attend these events where their civil rights are violated!!!!
The People who made this new law are trying to play GOD and are invading our civil rights which where established way way before any of these people who are making these new decision’s were even born! “So tell me what and who gives these people the right to break and control our Nations constitutional and civil laws and rights and who gives them the power and right to try and play GOD” ?????
I understand that the non smoking people have rights also and I agree they should be given the freedom to attend places without breathing in the smoke. But don’t take the rights totally away from the smokers either. Why don’t they come to a mutual term and designate one or two locations in these places that the smokers can only smoke in and then if they get caught smoking outside these area’s then fine them by all means!
This will never stop until all of our CIVIL LIBERTIES AND RIGHTS are taken away…I sure won’t be attending anything in the COUNTY at any PUBLIC park..I can’t wait to see how many show up at Bergman park this summer for their events…If all the smokers decide not to go, we will just have to see how many NON-SMOKERS go….I shake my head at all these MICHAEL BLOOMBERGS that run this county…UNREAL….