Maplewood, Brentwood Councilman Supports Countywide Smoking Ban, No Exemptions
County District 5 Councilman Pat Dolan, representng Maplewood and Brentwood, expects to support new legislation that would remove exemptions from the smoking ban.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis County Councilman Mike O’Mara plans to introduce legislation Tuesday to apply the St. Louis County smoking ban to all bars and restaurants equally, including the county casinos.
O'Mara cited the health issue of smoke and was also quoted making the following statement in the Post-Dispatch article.
“My goal is to get this ordinance cleaned up so that everyone in the county is on a level playing field,” O’Mara, D-Florissant, said Friday. “I’ve heard from too many owners of bars and restaurants who have convinced me that it is unfair that some businesses have the exemption while others, sometimes located right up the street, don’t.”
St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley reportedly supports eliminating the exemptions to the smoking ban.
According to the report, O’Mara plans to address the issue at Tuesday's St. Louis County Council meeting.
There are reportedly 135 establishments in the county that have exemptions from the smoking ban.
Bowling alleys, such as the Saratoga in Maplewood, are currently exempted from the ban.
The Post reports that District 5 Councilman Pat Dolan, which represents Maplewood and Brentwood, expects to support the ban.
(Read the entire St. Louis Post-Dispatch article here.)
Brentwood has already banned smoking in all bars and restaurants. Read more:
Stephen Scordias
4:10 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013
Before reading my comment I would like to state that I am not a business owner... but the original ban of smoking potentially, and in some cases actually, has hurt business owners. Smoking is NOT illegal, so why does any city, county, state, or country government body feel it is right to tell business owners (especially bars, clubs, casinos, restaurants, etc.) that they CANNOT allow a legal action to occur in their place of business? If Mike O'Mara wants a truly level playing field, then he should actually promote lifting the ban altogether! Non-smokers always have the option to not go to an establishment in which they are offended by smoking. Smokers have done the opposite for years, so that they can enjoy smoking while indoors. Further, employees that choose to work in a bar that allows smoking, should be shown little sympathy when complaining later that people smoke in their workplace... they knew that when they were hired! My suggestion would be to apply to the many other businesses where business owners don't allow smoking. Some business owners may be ignoring the decision regarding the right to smoke because it simply caters to their specific wants, but what about when the governmental bodies start working toward bans eliminating other legal actions? Like no sale of certain sodas because of their high calorie levels... or not allowing certain air fresheners because a customer complains? It seems ridiculous, but wake up... so is the smoking ban!