John M. Coyne (born 1916) was the mayor of Brooklyn, Ohio from 1948 to 1999, making his term the longest consecutive term of any mayor in the United States. He was reportedly responsible for the country's first seat belt (in 1966)[1] and cell phone laws for motorists,[2] bringing notoriety to Brooklyn. Coyne was replaced by Kenneth E. Patton in 1999. John Coyne now resides in Brooklyn Ohio. In Brooklyn, police stopped 150 cars the first six months of the ordinance, letting drivers off with warnings. They started issuing tickets on Sept. 1. Coyne said summonses have been issued to 32 drivers so far. The fines are nominal, just $2 to $3, Coyne said, "because the worse thing you can do is give the impression that you're socking them for taxation." Coyne answers calls every day about the ordinance from all over the country and as far away as Singapore. For the mayor, who's been in office 52 years, there's a sense of realness in all this—in 1966, Brooklyn was the first U.S. city to enact a seat belt law, he said. Mr.Coyne now has a recreation center in his name (The John M. Coyne Recreation Center in Brooklyn Ohio)
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