Expectant fathers like Timothy Strong will be able to light up in front of the Hospital of St. Raphael for a little while longer, after a plan to immediately ban cigarettes there went up in smoke for now.
Strong (pictured), whose girlfriend was in labor with a baby boy at the Chapel Street hospital on Monday, was one of several afternoon visitors to St. Raphael’s who paused on the sidewalk to puff a cigarette. On Monday evening the Board of Aldermen considered a proposal that would make their behavior illegal.
In a repetition of recent history, the proposal encountered the same speed-bump encountered by a previous sidewalk smoking ban, at Yale New Haven Hospital: East Rock Alderman Roland Lemar slowed that ban down by calling for public input. The Yale-New Haven ban ended up having a public hearing and becoming law.
St. Ray’s proposal, which seeks to designate the public area around the hospital as a smoke-free zone, was submitted by West River Alderman Yusuf Shah on behalf of the hospital.
Anticipating that the item would have the support of the entire board, Shah proposed the item under the “Unanimous Consent” section of Monday night’s agenda. That would have allowed the item to bypass committee approval and go immediately up for a final vote.
But consent was not unanimous.
Citing a need for public input, Alderman Lemar opposed fast-tracking the item. Shah’s proposal will now go to the Human Services Committee, where it will be subject to a public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Shah objected to Lemar’s stance before and after Monday’s meeting. Shah said that it was both “hypocritical” and “disrespectful” to deny unanimous consent to the bill.
Shah’s proposal ran into trouble during the public information session just prior to the start of the official Board of Aldermen meeting. Yale Alderwoman Rachel Plattus asked why the St. Ray’s smoking ban wasn’t going to be subject to a public hearing, as Yale-New Haven’s ban eventually had.
“It seems fair to allow the surrounding community to voice their concerns,” Plattus said.
“I know that that St. Raphe’s has done their due diligence,” said Shah. “I know no one in the community is going to dispute that … They support it.”
Martha Judd (at right in photo), director of community and government relations at St. Ray’s, rose to explain that the hospital had met with local neighborhood associations and block watches and that she had hand-delivered flyers describing the ban to local businesses.
She said that the hospital was hoping for an expedited sidewalk smoking ban from the Board of Aldermen that would coincide with the hospital’s plans to make St. Ray’s a smoke-free institution. On Nov. 19, the day of the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, the hospital will prohibit smoking in all areas of the hospital grounds, including the parking garage. Read about that here.
“I am going to deny unanimous consent,” said Lemar. Smoking on the sidewalk is a “widely accepted public right,” Lemar said. “If we’re going to rescind that right, there should be a public hearing.”
Although Lemar was at pains to emphasize that he meant no disrespect to Shah or to the hospital, the alderman took offense.
“I think you are disrespecting me and my right and the 23rd Ward,” Shah said. He called it “highly hypocritical” that the Board of Aldermen approved unanimous consent at the previous meeting for $4 million for more police officers without public testimony but that Lemar would not do the same for his motion.
After the full meeting, during which the board voted to send the smoking ban proposal to committee, Shah approached Lemar and Plattus to again express his dismay that they had questioned his motion.
“It came from a very funky place,” he said. “I’m surprised at both of you.”
Lemar (at left in photo) and Plattus both said that they support the item and meant no disrespect. Lemar reiterated that a proposal that restricts public rights should have a public hearing.
“I gave the residents of my ward my word and I feel disrespected,” Shah said.
“That’s just how I feel,” he said and walked away.
Shah later repeated that smoking ban had clear support. “I haven’t met anyone who’s against it,” he said.
A Monday afternoon visit to St Ray’s found a number of sidewalk smokers who opposed a ban.
Waiting for an order from Sweeney’s hot dog cart near the hospital’s main entrance, Trish sat next to her granddaughter and puffed on a Newport. “I need my cigarette,” she said. “It should be the person’s choice.”
“They’re impinging on our right to have a cigarette in public,” said Ken, who was manning the hot dog cart. “You’re on public property.”
“Laws and more laws, it’s not going to stop,” Ken went on. He warned that the country is on its way to becoming “another Russia or another Germany.”
“I think people should be free to smoke,” said Faith, who had a cigarette in one hand and a hot dog with everything in the other. “I smoke. I like it. I enjoy it.”
Informed of the proposed ban, Sal Barret said, “It’s way overboard.”
Given the high taxes on cigarettes, “we should have more rights than we’re given,” he said as he finished up his cigarette.
But Timothy Strong, the expectant father, said he wouldn’t mind crossing the street to keep his cigarette smoke away from the hospital. “I don’t want that to affect someone,” he said. “That makes sense.”
As Trish was getting up to go, Ken showed her his bracelet, which advertised a local laser treatment service to assist people trying to quit smoking. It worked for him, he said. He recommended it to her.