Gladstone (MI) City Commission urged to ban outdoor tobacco use by county health dept staffer

[Bill Godshall]

Gladstone City Commission mulls outdoor tobacco use - DailyPress.net | News, Sports, Jobs, Escanaba Information | The Daily Press

The proposal will be re-addressed at the board's Nov. 1 regular meeting.

"The reason we approached Gladstone about possibly covering some of their outdoor recreational areas as being smoke-free or tobacco-free is, from a public health standpoint. We do know that there is no safe amount of exposure to second-hand smoke, including outdoors," said Shannon Hammond of Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties.

According to Hammond, similar policies have reduced the number of youths who begin smoking.

"We also know that tobacco use in outdoor areas sends a negative health message to youth," she said.

The policy was met with opposition from commissioners.

"Beyond the principled reasons that I oppose this policy as it's written, I've got a major fundamental objection to the thing," said Commissioner Matt Gay.

"This policy, for all intents and purposes, establishes an ordinance without going through the full process of an ordinance," Gay continued.

Enforcement of the policy included fines under the city's nuisance ordinance. The ordinance names a number of possible nuisances, including anything that endangers the health or safety or the public.

"It is vague, in terms of enforcement," said Public Safety Director Paul Geyer.

The vagueness of the ordinance could present enforcement issues for the policy.

Based upon this information, I strongly suspect the proposal would also ban e-cigarette use, especially since the Michigan Department of Community Health has received a CDC CPPW grant.
http://www.recovery.gov/Transparenc...ctSummary508.aspx?AwardIDSUR=93779&qtr=2012Q2.

But I couldn't find the proposed policy change or contact information (just names and term of office) for Gladstone City Commissioners at their website
http://www.gladstonemi.org/city-commision

Darin Hunter, Mayor (November 2013)
Hugo Mattonen, (November 2013)
Joe Maki (November 2013)
David Olson (November 2015)
Matt Gay (November 2015)

When I called the city clerk to obtain contact info for the Commissioners, I got a recording saying the clerk was on vacation until September 4.
http://www.gladstonemi.org/contactus