Ten council candidates back leaf blower ban, full or for gas models, petition group reports
In the upcoming City Council election, no issue may be too small – and a group called Quiet Healthy Cambridge has reported a list of candidates responsive to its interest in banning or diminishing use of leaf blowers.
In favor of a total ban were challengers Derek Kopon, Patty Nolan, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler and incumbent councillors Dennis Carlone, Craig Kelley and Quinton Zondervan, the group reported Monday. Favoring a ban of gas blowers only were challengers Burhan Azeem, Greg Moree and Nicola Williams and incumbent Mayor Marc McGovern.
No response was received from the dozen other candidates, according to the press release.
Candidates were asked their views on a proposed citizens’ petition to ban blowers that had a hearing May 1 before the council’s Ordinance Committee, the group’s Laura McMurry said. It was referred to a stakeholders’ group that has yet to be constituted.
Quiet Healthy Cambridge is a relatively new group, formed to oppose the blowers because “we feel that they are noisy, polluting and for the most part unnecessary,” McMurry said.
David, Thank you for the list. None of them will be getting the votes from our family. Nonetheless I will continue to use my leaf blower to clean the city sidewalk and my property. This senior citizen likes a clean and neat property maintained by himself.
John McMahon