LEWISTON, Maine — The Lewiston City Council has banned smoking in a city park named after a former councilor and mayoral candidate who died of lung cancer.
The council voted 7-0 Tuesday to bar smoking at Mark Paradis Park after hearing from his widow.
Ronella Paradis said her husband smoked for 40 years before quitting in 2006. The Sun Journal reports that she said it doesn't make sense to allow smoking in a park where children play.
The city renamed the park in Paradis' honor in 2012.
He served three terms as a city councilor and ran for mayor in 2011. He and current Mayor Robert Macdonald were scheduled to face each other in a December runoff, but he was diagnosed with cancer and died five days before the runoff vote.