RYE - As soon as ballots were tallied last Tuesday night in Rye, Isabella Hillman took a deep breath, exhaled, and smiled.

Thanks to her efforts, thousands of beachgoers in her town might be able to do the same this summer.

Hillman, 12, led a petition drive to put a warrant article before voters, asking them to approve a nonbinding resolution declaring all town beaches smoke-free. Last Tuesday, residents of Rye complied, approving her Article 24, 1,193 to 471.

"It was great to be able to make a difference like that," said Hillman, a seventh-grader at Rye Junior High School. "My friends and I love to go to the beach, and there's always someone smoking there and we don't like it. Plus, most of the litter picked up off beaches are cigarette butts. This will help."

Hillman said after she decided to take on the task of a smoking ban on local beaches, she approached the Rye Civic League for advice on how to go about it.

"They explained to me everything I needed to do," said Hillman. "They were a big help right from the start."

Hillman gathered 40 signatures for her petition, 15 more than required to have it go before selectmen for placement on the town's warrant. She then addressed the town's deliberative session, successfully advocating for its placement on the ballot.

"She spent months on this," said her father, Steve. "She's a straight-A student, a very determined person. The passion, the drive she needed to get this done . I don't know where it comes from because I don't have it. We're very proud of her."

The smoking ban received the full backing of the town's selectmen and Budget Committee.

According to Rye Police Chief Kevin Walsh, because Article 24 is a nonbinding resolution that declares all nine town beach areas as smoke-free zones, signs will be posted asking beachgoers not to smoke, but they will not face a penalty or fine if they do.

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7th-grader's effort paves way for smoke-free beaches