Alaska Tobacco Control Alliance

As a business and property owner in Kenai, local folks know John Parker. So when John met with Kenai City Council members on the need for a comprehensive smokefree workplace policy for the city of Kenai, they listened. Armed with his personal story of his nonsmoking wife contracting lung disease from working with a smoker, John worked with the council, other elected officials, and Peninsula Smokefree Partnership to educate both the public and  policymakers on the dangers of secondhand smoke and the need for legislation that protects both workers and business patrons. In addition to giving public testimony at city council meetings and recording radio ads on the dangers of secondhand smoke, John stood strong in the face of opposition and remained clear and firm on the message that “everyone has the right to breathe clean air.”