City Council Weighs Smoking Ban in Parks

South End City Councilor Bill Linehan was the lone voice of opposition during Wednesday’s introduction of a petition to ban smoking in public parks across the city, arguing that such a move would infringe on the public’s civil liberties.

The petition, filed on Monday by Councilors Felix Arroyo and Sal LaMattina, asks for a public hearing to discuss “non-discriminatory policies” to restrict smoking in public parks based on the dangers associated with second-hand smoke.

“Restricting smoking in our public parks will promote clean air and ensure healthy, smokefree environments for all Boston residents and visitors to enjoy,” the petition reads.

At Wednesday’s council meeting, LaMattina, who suffers from asthma, recalled watching a woman leave her seat on a park bench due to a smoker sitting nearby.  Arroyo, who is also asthmatic, said he faces similar situations while coaching baseball. More than once, people have lit up beside the baseball diamond, he said, exposing the players to dangerous toxins.

“People say, ‘just move,' well my third baseman can’t move, my first baseman can’t move,” he said. "They have to play their positions."

Linehan, a former smoker and father of two asthmatic children, said he sympathized with the conditions described by his colleagues but questioned the appropriateness of regulating a legal act in public, outdoor spaces.

“I think it comes to a certain point where the government is trying to intrude on the private lives of its citizens,” he said. “If you choose to smoke as an adult, you have that choice. Not allowing folks to smoke in a public park and in public places is over the line.”

The petition was referred to the council’s Committee on City and Neighborhood Services, which will schedule a public hearing. If Boston adopts a ban, it will join hundreds of communities that have already done so. Last week, New York passed regulations banning smoking in public parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas including Times Square.