It looks like the majority, six or seven, Naperville city council members are hooked on e-cigs. They can’t let them go. Mayor Steve Chirico along with possibly councilmen Kevin Coyne and Kevin Gallaher realize it might be better to back off e-cigs, but two or three does not make a majority.
We’re talking about the council’s thirst to regulate e-cigs with an ordinance. When the topic was first on the agenda about a month ago, two councilmen (Gallaher and Hinterlong) let it be known that they didn’t know much, if anything, about e-cigs, but councilman Paul Hinterlong was all too willing to regulate them. We also learned that council members Becky Anderson and Patty Gustin were eager to vote on the issue, rather than wait for the Illinois General Assembly to weigh-in on the topic. Neither Anderson or Gustin were open-minded to hear additional information on the topic. Apparently for them, the discussion was over. It seems to be a common denominator for the majority of this Naperville city council, that ‘discussion is over’, whether it be this topic or other topics. Apparently some council members don’t want to be bothered with additional information. Don’t let facts get in the way. Just vote on it (whatever it is) and be concerned about details later.
Details include the foolishness of trying to enforce the ordinance. This is where it gets tricky. Maybe the e-cig is not a nicotine delivering device though it may look like one, or maybe the e-cig device is a nicotine delivery system prescribed by a doctor to help people get off the addiction of smoking.
The City of Naperville has been guilty of the addiction of over zealous prosecution of not-well thought-out ordinances. Some members of this Naperville city council need an ‘e-cig ‘ to break this foolish addiction.
Like physicians politicians should have a motto of first do no harm and another one that says the average person knows more about how to manage his life then you do. Where do any of these people get off regulating what we eat and drink, smoke, types of cars we drive, whether we use fossil fuel versus renewables, etc.,etc.,etc? They need to get out of our lives and stay out of it. If you want to do something constructive and beneficial figure out ways to cut our taxes by getting rid of redundant and wasteful city positions, rules, regulations, permits and things like golf courses, fire departments, ambulance services and the big one the electric company.