Politics & Government
Marcos Wants Council to Consider Smoking Areas
City Council could ban all smoking on city property, including Bowie's parks.
Two weeks after the City Council , Mayor Pro Tem James Marcos said it could end up hurting the children of smokers.
“Some people might be so upset they won’t go to the park. I just feel they’ll be angry and the kids will suffer. I’m not sure what impact that will have,” said Marcos, during Monday's city council meeting.
Marcos asked city council members to consider designated smoking areas when they take up the issue again at the council's next meeting on April 4.
But an anti-smoking activist, who testified Monday, dismissed Marcos’ concerns.
“Who pays for the clean-up and why can’t they go to the car,” said Bowie resident William Alli, after Monday's meeting. “How many people are we talking about that can’t control it, that can't go without [smoking] long enough to go to a park?”
City Manager David Deutsch outlined a proposal earlier this month to ban smoking within 100 feet of any city building, playground or ballfield. But the city council went further, directing city officials to draft an ordinance to restrict smoking on all city property, including parks.
"The City Council recognizes that smoking impacts the city budget by increasing health care costs and decreasing productivity due to employee smoking-related illness...the city has an interest in protecting its employees and members of the public from the adverse impacts of secondhand tobacco smoke," the ordinance states.
If the ordinance is approved, smoking would be prohibited on all city property except in vehicles parked on city property, provided all doors and windows are closed.
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Smoking would be prohibited in city-owned vehicles and city employees would be prohibited from smoking while on duty. Employees would be allowed to smoke while on breaks in areas where smoking is permitted.
If passed, violators would be "subject to ejection" from the park and could face a fine of $50. Signs would be posted on city property notifying people about the ordinance and the penalties for violating it.
The Ocean City Town Council approved a similar measure Monday, banning smoking at some public parks and playgrounds.
