To the Journal editor:

I read the article regarding as smoking ban at Presque Isle Park twice before I said to myself, “This is one of the craziest ideas regarding smoking bans within the city of Marquette.” Why?

Smokers and those with a paranoia about infringement on one’s First Amendment rights are going to come out of the woodwork and jump all over this one.

Families who enjoy cook-outs at the park are going to say, I can supervise my children without help from the city of Marquette.

What’s really important to address? As I drive from the Hawley Street intersection, you can see hundreds of kids and adults playing on the beach near the toxic run-off from the former Cliffs-Dow plant.

The toxins from the Lake Superior & Ishpeming Ore Dock and the We Energies Power Plant bombard the Island daily. Fumes from starter fluids and the charcoal spread across the park. Adding cigarettes to the mix is a small issue.

Having worked at a major Detroit area university for 30 years, I try to avoid reinforcing the stereotype that well-meaning folks live in a vacuum on our campuses.

The direction that members of ACHIEVE seem to be going in would cause a reasonable person to say “Who are these people, and what next?” They should set their sights on all Marquette business and residential areas, starting with Third Street, the Downtown area and West Washington Street.

Recalls will require wasting time and money, as well as disrupting the normal civic duties during the defense of Parks Committee and City Council members who would vote for this ban.

We don’t need more ordinances that can’t be enforced. The “no dogs outside of vehicles with the park ban” is violated hourly, year round, somewhere around the park.

We will need at least two full-time police officers, plus deputized volunteers, to cover the sunrise to sunset time frame. The current once an hour drive through by city police or the Parks patrol simply won’t cut it.

Maybe we could allow smoking where there are picnic tables and charcoal grills to keep the problem where it already is. This lets families supervise their children and teach them not to eat toxic substances.

Law enforcement and the fire department already respond to problems in these locations.

William Jorns

Marquette