City of Poughkeepsie bans smoking in parks

Visitors to City of Poughkeepsie parks will soon be unable to legally light up. The Common Council has approved a smoking ban in city parks and ballfields -- joining a number of local communities that have enacted similar legislation. Mayor John Tkazyik said officials had been considering snuffing out smoking in parks, but sped up the effort after a group of youth baseball players came to a recent council meeting and urged leaders to adopt a smoking ban. "They came with concerns regarding secondhand smoke," he said, adding city legal staff then drafted a local bill seeking to ban smoking in parks. The measure was approved by the council Monday night.