Should smokers be allowed to indulge their habit outdoors if they are near restaurant customers enjoying open air dining?
Haverhill City Councilor Mary Ellen Daly O’Brien raised the question during the body’s regular Tuesday night meeting. She spearheaded an attempt to have the Health Board rule on the matter two years ago, but says with the warmer weather ahead, it is time to bring it up again.
“Three restaurants have mentioned it to me—all in different sections of the city, and it’s worth putting another letter to them and asking them to address this. I think we need some kind of ruling from them. Not only is it not healthy, it is really unappealing to be eating dinner at some of our outdoor areas and have smoking going on four feet away,” she said.
By a unanimous vote, the Council agreed to ask regulations to restrict smoking near outdoor dining facilities before 10 p.m.