Marblehead blows away leaf blower ban

MARBLEHEAD, Mass. (AP) -- It's still OK to use leaf blowers in Marblehead.

Town Meeting members on Tuesday voted 285-211 to defeat a partial ban on the yard maintenance devices.

Christopher Bergonzi had at first proposed a complete ban on leaf blowers, saying their emissions were a public health risk. He compared leaf blower emissions to second-hand smoke.

But he later amended that, proposing a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers between May 15 and Sept. 15, while still allowing the use of battery-powered and electric leaf blowers.

The Daily Item reports that resident Edward Friedman questioned Bergonzi's scientific research and said leaf blowers are hardly used between May 15 and Sept. 15 anyway, making the article irrelevant.