Baby on board? Put out butts, Keyport says Boro to vote next week on whether to ban smoking with kids in car BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer The days of lighting up with kids in the car may be coming to an end.The Keyport Borough Council is considering a ban that would make it illegal to smoke in vehicles while minors under 17 are present. If enacted, Keyport would be the first town in the state to pass such a ban. Chatham rejected a similar law last month. Introduced at the April 10 meeting, the measure would carry a $75 fine for violations. The violation would be considered a secondary offense, meaning police would need another reason to pull over the vehicle and issue a ticket. Councilman William Ortman proposed the measure, which is similar to bans already in place in Bangor, Maine; Puerto Rico; and the states of Arkansas and Louisiana, according to The New York Times. Mayor Robert Bergen, an attorney, said the ban may come with "significant enforcement problems." "I think it's a very noble idea, but I haven't looked into it in depth," Bergen said on Thursday. Bergen said he plans to discuss the matter with the borough attorney sometime before the public hearing. The mayor also noted that state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union County) is currently proposing similar legislation for New Jersey. It might make sense to see how that measure pans out, Bergen said, before enacting a local ban. Ortman said he can't take credit for coming up with the idea. "Well, it wasn't really me," Ortman said Monday. "Jon Barone is a member of the health committee in town. He came to me several weeks ago, and I believe he approached [councilmen] Joe Sheridan and Ezra Hill. He had had a discussion with the health committee and they were all in favor of this proposal." "[Barone is] the real champion of the thing, and is eager to speak prior to its adoption, or supposed adoption, to give a little more information about the negative effects of secondary smoke," he said. Sheridan said he supports the ordinance and believes it will pass its second reading. "Hopefully, it won't really affect that many people because most people don't really do it," he said. "But it's something that really needs to happen. It's not fair to the kids." Ortman noted that the proposal has come on the heels of a new surgeon general's report that secondary smoke is in fact a health hazard. "It was something that was long suspected but there was still no definitive proof," Ortman said. "The fact that it came out of the Bush administration is even more impressive because his administration has shown itself to be a lot more business-friendly than health-friendly." A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for April 24 at 8 p.m. at borough hall.