LEGISLATOR TYRAE WOODSON-SAMUEL & THE TEAMSTER UNION EXPRESS GRATITUDE AND APPLAUD LATIMER’S

Legislator Tyrae Woodson-Samuels – District 13 (Mount Vernon) one of the legislators who voted against the proposed menthol cigarettes and flavor nicotine ban, shared with Black Westchester his response to CE George Latimer’s veto of Local Law Intro. No 461-2022.

“I applaud and support County Executive Latimer’s decision to veto legislation that would have banned the sale of flavored tobacco products in the county, and I support his more measured and broad-based commitment to protecting Westchester’s youth from the dangers of smoking in general. I know this was not a simple decision, and that the County Executive did not take the easier political path – but I absolutely applaud him for listening so attentively to the concerns, in particular, of the African American & Middle Eastern communities in the context of this legislation.

Let me be clear: this is no knock on my colleagues on the Board of Legislators who voted to pass this legislation. They are sincere public servants, and we share the same goals: decreasing the use of dangerous products and increasing education around the health risks of smoking. But I agreed with CE Latimer, himself a veteran lawmaker of several decades, that the bill as passed too narrowly singled out a few products at the expense of others, while ignoring both the cultural and economic impacts on our communities. In our discussions, I urged the County Executive to consider these factors, and to take a broader approach that didn’t single out our specific communities.

CE Latimer more than answered the call. Rather than just veto the bill and call it a day, the County Executive launched a new initiative that includes a $3 million public education campaign to all residents, highlighting the dangers of tobacco usage, as well as a multi-level enforcement program, working with state and local government resources to ensure improved enforcement of our existing Tobacco 21 age limit under the

DECISION TO VETO LOCAL LAW 461-2022

the leadership of Deputy County Executive Jenkins.”

Mike Smith, President of Local 810 IBT gratitude to CE Latimer for his decision to veto Local Law Intro. No 461-2022 banning menthol cigarettes and flavored tobacco.

“On behalf of Local 810 Teamsters Union, along with all our truck drivers, warehousemen and salespeople that work in the tobacco related industry, we wish to express our sincere gratitude to Westchester County Executive George Latimer for his decision to veto the Flavored Tobacco Ban legislation. This fast-tracked legislation would have negatively impacted the communities it claimed to want to help and take away union jobs from New York residents.

Some have claimed that this legislation was proposed to address the health risks associated with smoking flavored tobacco products while ignoring the fact that all other tobacco products have the same risks. We cannot and should not arbitrarily decide which products should be legally available to adults in this country and which should be banned. The failed history of Prohibition has taught us this valuable lesson.

Banning flavored tobacco is not the best approach to keep our children safe from products that can be lawfully sold to adults 21 years or older. Instead, the laws that are in place to protect our communities, including increased penalties to those that break such laws, must be stringently enforced. Moreover, it is imperative to continue to educate the youth on the risks of using such products. Adherence of these measures is the best approach to achieve the objectives of the proposed legislation.

To my Union brothers Tom Gesualdi – Pres. of Teamsters Joint Council 16 and Lou Picani – Pres. of Local 456 Teamsters, thank you for your support in this fight!”