We are usually leery of incursions by government into our private lives, such as the requirement in the Democrats’ health legislation that chain restaurants post calorie counts for the food they serve. The idea of government do-gooders looking over our shoulder while we eat is galling. However, Milford made the right call in banning smoking from its 465 units of public housing.

The ban in the living units was enacted because of concerns about the health effects of secondhand tobacco smoke, accidental fires and the extra costs of maintenance. Tenants can smoke outside.

Concerns about secondhand smoke may have been a main factor in the authority’s vote. Two other factors supported the ban. The tenants are not owners, but renters. They have to live by rules that do not apply to homeowners. Second, it takes twice the money to refurbish a unit after a smoker moves out, according to Hilary H. Holowink, chairwoman of Milford Redevelopment and Housing Partnership. Just as some landlords ban pets, there is a sound economic reason for Milford to ban smoking in its public housing.

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