Laelynn Lewis, 2, and her mother, Alice Nauman, spent the afternoon at Lincoln Park Wednesday. Nauman said she is a 'stress smoker' and smokes only occasionally. But she said a proposal to ban smoking in city parks is 'dumb.' (Daily Record/Sunday News - Bil Bowden)

Ryan Cochrane of West York often visits city parks to walk his pit bull.

He'd prefer not to have others smoking there, he said, as he took Barkley around Farquhar Park in York on Wednesday.

"It's a health issue," he said. "A park is a community place, a place where people bring their kids."

The York City Council is considering a ban on smoking and using smokeless tobacco in parks at the urging of the York City Health Bureau and the mayor's office.

Outdoor smoking bans are becoming more popular, said Annie Tegen, senior program manager with the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation.

As of April, 309 municipalities in the country prohibited smoking in parks, according to the group's Web site. The organization recommends working on indoor bans before outdoor bans, Tegen said.

Smoking is already banned in all city buildings, said city Councilwoman Toni Smith, who introduced the proposal.

State law doesn't allow municipalities to ban smoking in other indoor places, Councilman Cameron Texter said.

Tegen said social norms are shifting regarding secondhand smoke.

But some people in city parks Wednesday disagreed.

Andrea and Stewart Peiffer of York Township said if smokers are courteous, they shouldn't bother anyone in the parks.

"There's too much government and too (many) restrictions on things," Stewart Peiffer said, as the ex-smokers walked their granddaughter Lydia around Kiwanis Lake.

But, Peiffer doesn't like smoking around

"It's just a matter of being a good citizen," he said.

Robert Krout smoked on a bench near the playground at Farquhar Park.

"It (doesn't) matter to me," he said, as he and Brieanna Creamer watched their son on the playground.

If the ban passes, they'll put out their cigarettes to avoid a fine, they said. But Creamer said it might be better to designate a park area for smoking.

David Hawk, director of the York City Health Bureau, said that besides health risks, smoking and chewing tobacco create negative images for children in the parks.

He acknowledged it would take a while for people to get used to the new law if it passes. He hopes posting signs would be enough to keep people from smoking.

York City Police Commissioner Mark Whitman said if the new law passes, his officers will enforce it when they see it, and a park ranger program slated to start this summer might be able to address it.

amason@ydr.com; 771-2048

AT A GLANCE

Last time: A proposal to ban smoking in city parks was introduced at the York City Council meeting.

The latest: Some park visitors like the idea, others say smokers should just be courteous.

What's next: A city council committee will discuss the proposal at 7 p.m. Tuesday in city council chambers, 1 Marketway West.

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