EAST BRUNSWICK — The Township Council is considering an ordinance that would prohibit smoking on all public land in the municipality.
The council introduced the ordinance at its Feb. 4 meeting and could formally adopt the measure following a public hearing at the Feb. 25 meeting.
Council President James Wendell, Vice President Camille Ferraro and members Michael Hughes and Denise Contrino approved the introduction, while Councilwoman Nancy Pinkin abstained from the vote, saying she was seeking more information about the ban.
Pinkin, who said she has strong personal feelings about smoking because she lost her mother to lung caner, specifically questioned the prospects of a legal challenge and whether other communities had executed similar measures.
Officials were confident that a legal challenge would be unlikely, and after the vote, Mayor David Stahl, using his smartphone, found that Cherry Hill recently adopted a similar prohibition.
Stahl endorsed the measure, noting that the township has a similar ban prohibiting smoking in public parks.
“It’s a stance that’s in the best interest of the public safety and public health,” he said, adding that smokers will be able to use designated smoking areas.
Business Administrator James White said part of the rationale behind the measure was to respond to complaints of smokers not using approved containers for putting out cigarettes at the municipal building, resulting in police having to put out small fires that ignited in the gardens near certain entrances.
“We’ve had some practical problems break out here at the municipal building that really brought [the smoking issue] to light,” White said. “I don’t want to talk about my personal feelings about smoking, even though I have very strong feelings about smoking.”
He acknowledged that enforcing the ordinance would be an issue, but said he’s confident that the measure would be successfully implemented if it is formally adopted by the council.
He also cited East Brunswick’s progressive history in addressing smoking.
“This township has a long history going back before I was here,” he said. “We were the first municipality to ban cigarette machines within our borders and we have previously banned smoking out in public parks, in all recreation areas.”
Contact James McEvoy at [email protected].