This Does Not Need To Happen. The Choice Is Yours.

Yes, it is confirmed “Citizens for a Smoke-Free Kirkwood” is back with yet another proposal they are getting signatures for. The defeat of their November 2006 proposal was not good enough for them. They want to keep rehashing this issue over and over. This time they have reformulated themselves as “Healthy Air for Kirkwood.”

Yes, at this time these folks and their coalition of numerous anti-smoking organizations from throughout Missouri are targeting our community for yet another pointless political battle.

Below is my snail-mail letter I sent to these folks. I used it as my speech at tonight’s City Council meeting.

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Healthy Air for Kirkwood
1271 Oakshire Lane
Kirkwood, MO 63122


June 4, 2009


Dear Members of Healthy Air for Kirkwood,

As a fellow citizen of Kirkwood, I am writing to you in response to your Initiative Petition for a Smoke-Free Ordinance you have filed at City Hall. I ask you at this time to do the right thing and the honorable thing for our entire community and withdraw this Initiative Petition.

Your reformulated group from “Citizens for a Smoke-Free Kirkwood” to “Healthy Air for Kirkwood” is akin to nothing more than a rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic. You are the same group serving outside interests as before. So nothing has changed. The issue of smoking versus non-smoking is the same as before. So nothing has changed. The ability of patrons to not support smoking establishments is the same as before. So nothing has changed. The need for you and your fellow anti-smoking activists from across Missouri to take this state-wide issue to Jefferson City is the same as before. So nothing has changed.

For your group to once again try to use the Initiative Petition process is an abuse of that very process. When looking at the facts and the history of your group this Initiative Petition is an abuse of the community good faith and trust our City Charter was founded upon. It is an abuse of our City government. It is an abuse of our business community. It is an abuse of our tax dollars. It is an abuse of the clear decision made by voters in November 2006.

Please, therefore, do not continue to waste your fellow Kirkwoodians’ valuable time and their ever tightened resources on this issue. Have the conscience and the courage to do the right thing and the honorable thing by taking this fight to where it belongs – Jefferson City.

I will remind you of this fact: Anti-smoking activists in 33 states have been able to get fair and equitable state-wide smoking bans passed. So, you have no excuse not to avail yourselves of the legislative process provided in Jefferson City. There is no reason for you and the numerous state-wide anti-smoking coalitions you are working for to continue to abuse our community, our tax dollars and our Initiative Petition process with this issue here in Kirkwood.

If you refuse to withdraw this Initiative Petition, then you will force a citizens group to be formed to defeat your wasteful and unnecessary, rehashed proposal. Fellow Kirkwoodians, like myself, will not sit idly by as you continue forcing outside proposals on our community. This does not need to happen. The choice is yours.

Your Fellow Kirkwoodian,

Joe Toenjes

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Given the impromptu comments of Ms. Jean Loemker, the leader of “Citizens for a Smoke-Free Kirkwood", to the City Council in response to my speech, it is safe to say our community has confirmation that …

“Your reformulated group from “Citizens for a Smoke-Free Kirkwood” to “Healthy Air for Kirkwood” is akin to nothing more than a rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic. You are the same group serving outside interests as before. So nothing has changed.”

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