Smoking Proposition
Dear Editor: I will be voting yes on Proposition 2 on Tuesday.
Off the top I do not smoke anything other than fish! I was a signature collector to get this proposition on the ballot. While collecting signatures, a strong common thread was spoken in conversations with Sitkans. That thread was government intrusion in our lives and how this initiative gives us a choice.
This is a choice to ... keep our own (Sitka’s) smoking ordinance which has been working very well and is well-balanced or to just let the state make our decisions for us all. Of all the signatures I collected I estimate that half of the Sitkans who signed the petition were non-smokers who want the choice.
I’ve read on social media that Sitka is the only municipality in Alaska who is challenging the state, as if it is a bad thing!
I think just the opposite. I feel that Sitka is a strong community flexing its muscle and showing its grit and independence! Other communities should and will learn from us! As naive as I am I tend to still think of having the ‘‘Alaskan Spirit’’ and doing what’s fair and bucking the down south trendy issues that just need to stay away!
Sitka’s smoking ordinance has been working well for all since circa 2005. We don’t need to fix what isn’t broken. Show your independence and please vote YES on Prop 2.
Jim Moormann, Sitka
