[C-U Smokefree] FW: Smoke-Free Oak Park Update

[Kathy Drea]

Update on the Campaign for a Smoke-Free Oak Park - November 23, 2004 


Greetings and best Thanksgiving wishes to all! 

Please forward this to other potential supporters in the Oak Park area. 


OAK PARK BOARD OF HEALTH VOTES TO ASK FOR SMOKE-FREE ORDINANCE! Last
week, 
the Board of Health voted to call on the Village Board of Trustees to
pass 
an ordinance that will protect all public places and work places in Oak
Park 
from the poisonous gas known as secondhand smoke! Based to the latest 
information from Village Hall, the clean indoor air recommendation will
be 
on the Village Board's agenda early next year. (Probably the first
meeting 
in 2005.) There is only one meeting left in 2004 and the agenda is very 
full. Please make sure the item gets a warm reception from OP trustees
in 
2005 by calling or e-mailing them NOW and asking them to enact a strong,

comprehensive clean indoor air ordinance! 


NEXT STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING: If you're getting this e-mail, you're 
encouraged to attend our next meeting at 7:00 PM on December 6, 2004. We

will be meeting in room 102 at Oak Park Village Hall, located at 123
Madison 
Ave. We are planning to meet at Village Hall concurrently with the Board
of 
Trustees meeting so that our members can go up and use the public
comment 
period (no more than 3 min./person) to call on the Village Board to pass
a 
clean indoor air ordinance ASAP. 


OPINION POLL: The initial results are in and it looks good! The Campaign

hired Fako & Associates, an independent polling firm, to conduct an
opinion 
poll, surveying 300 households in Oak Park and another 300 in
neighboring 
suburbs. (As far as I know, this is the first time potential consumers
from 
surrounding areas were polled to see if they would be more likely to go
out 
in a smoke-free community!) The answer is a resounding and overwhelming 
"yes!" It is clear that the local economy will thrive if Oak Park makes
and 
markets itself as the Western Region's Non-Smoking Section! A
representative 
from our polling firm will be on hand at the Steering Committee meeting
on 
Dec. 6th to brief us on the full poll results. 


MEDIA: Both local weeklies, the Wednesday Journal (last week) and Oak
Leaves 
(today) have done recent stories on the issue quoting Campaign members.
A 
meeting with the Wednesday Journal Editorial Board was held last week
and a 
meeting with the Oak Leaves is scheduled for 2:00 PM on December 1st.
Please 
let Mark Peysakhovich know (via v-mail at 312-476-6644 or e-mail at 
mep at heart.org <mailto:mep at heart.org>) if you can attend the Dec. 1st 
meeting. The local papers can make or break a campaign like this. We
need a 
steady stream of letters to the editor to both publications. Please let
Mark 
know if we can assist you in preparing or sending a letter to the
editor. 
Representatives of the Campaign for a Smoke-Free Oak Park will also be 
working on Op-Eds for both papers. 


COMMUNITY EDUCATION EFFORTS MOVING FORWARD AND YOU CAN HELP! Several 
representatives of the Campaign have been meeting with churches,
community 
organizations, businesses and OP trustees. Most recently, Petersen's 
Restaurant, an Oak Park institution, endorsed the Campaign to support
public 
health. The Campaign for a Smoke-Free Oak Park is always looking for 
opportunities to ask the Oak Park community for support. We are also
always 
looking for spokespersons who can represent us at such events. Please
let 
Mark Peysakhovich know (via v-mail at 312-476-6644 or e-mail at 
mep at heart.org <mailto:mep at heart.org>) if you can put us in touch with
any 
groups or if you're available to be a spokesperson for the Campaign. 


PETITIONS AND ENDORSEMENTS: Over 2,000 signatures have been collected on
our 
petitions!!! We need more!!! One of the best ways to convince someone
who 
isn't sure to support clean indoor air efforts is to highlight their 
neighbors', friends', business peers' and community leaders' support. In

order for us to use your or your organization's name, we need to have a 
signed endorsement form! Please let Mark Peysakhovich know (via v-mail
at 
312-476-6644 or e-mail at mep at heart.org <mailto:mep at heart.org>) if you
need 
an endorsement form. Please help us by asking all of the Oak Park
businesses 
you support to support you by endorsing the Campaign and
signing/collecting 
petitions. 


Thanks everyone for your support! 


_______________ 
Mark E. Peysakhovich 
Senior Director of Advocacy 

American Heart Association, Greater Midwest Affiliate 
801 N. Cass Ave., Suite 200 
Westmont, IL 60559 
Tel.: 630-789-9222 
Voice mail: 800-677-5481, x6644 
Fax: 630-789-9235 
E-mail: mep at heart.org 
www.americanheart.org 



Campaign for a Smoke-Free Oak Park
917 Wisconsin Ave., Oak Park, IL 60304
Phone/Fax: 1-800-691-6027 X6020
http://www.oakparkcleanair.com