Forget lighting up on the beaches and boardwalk of Belmar, N.J., as the Belmar Borough Council voted 4-1 to ban smoking in those areas at their May 6. While the ban comes just ahead of the busy summer tourist season, it will be year-round in the borough that is home to approximately 6,000 residents.
Mayor Matt Doherty, who promised that there would be a vote on the issue in early March, cited cigarette butt litter as one of the key drivers for the ban, according to a report from NJ.com. He said it also clears up gray areas as to where smoking is and isn’t allowed, a problem that has made enforcement a challenge.
The ban does not include e-cigarettes and the L Street beach one the west side of the borough is currently not included in the ban, but could be at some point in the future.
I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.