Council Members Split on a Countywide Smoking Ban Vote
Council members offered thoughts on a proposed ban introduced by Councilman Joe Cronin that would put the matter before voters Nov. 6.
St. Charles County Council members weighed in on Councilman Joe Cronin's third attempt at getting a countywide smoking ban placed on the Nov. 6 ballot.
Cronin's proposed ban includes exemptions for Ameristar Casino, private residences, private clubs with no employees and retail tobacco stores. Read more about his proposal here.
Council member Nancy Matheny, District 3, said the council will spend the next two weeks discussing whether they can come to an agreement on what types of exemptions should be included in the bill.
"We have six members of the County Council that are present and Paul Wynn who is present by phone," she said. "Everyone is in a different place on this continuum... Our goal will be to find out if we can get four (votes) without a veto or five so a veto wouldn't matter."
Matheny said she'd prefer a statewide ban, but since that isn't being addressed, she prefers it to be handled the same in a municipal area. She said St. Louis County has many exemptions in its ban.
"It's a smoking ban 'light'. But I don't want to see is our businesses not on a level playing field with businesses right over the river," she said.
Councilman Joe Brazil, District 2: "I don’t smoke, I just don’t think we should be telling businesses how to run their business. I don’t even agree with the Casino’s ordinance because, that again, is going to be telling people what to do. I think government should stay out of small business."
Councilman John White, District 7: "We've been kicking this around for so long, talk about choice. I stand where I stood before, it should be in people’s hands to decide. I support the bill."
Councilman Terry Hollander, District 5: "Choice is difficult to define. It all depends on who you are talking to. From the very begining I supported the idea that the best choice is the one that the 350,000 people in St. Charles County, the ones that do show up in polls, I think that’s the choice we have to go with. I've supported from the very beginning allowing the people to decide this issue rather than 7 or six council people."
What do you think about a countywide smoking ban? Should there be exemptions?
In This article
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St. Charles County Historic Courthouse
100 N 3rd St, Saint Charles, MO -
Ameristar Casino
1 Ameristar Blvd, Saint Charles, MO -
Jaycen Rigger
8:38 am on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Councilman John White, District 7: "We've been kicking this around for so long, talk about choice. I stand where I stood before, it should be in people’s hands to decide. I support the bill."
What he means to say, is he supports the ability for a mob to strip individuals of their rights. What a Democratic idea.
Rich Pope
2:23 am on Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Cigarette smoke and secondhand smoke has been shown to cause cancer. If your right to smoke keeps me from my rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, then you have gone too far and the government needs to step in. Go ahead an smoke. Just do it in the privacy of your own home where you aren't making everyone else around you sick to their stomachs.
Jaycen Rigger
8:40 am on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Matheny said she'd prefer a statewide ban, but since that isn't being addressed, she prefers it to be handled the same in a municipal area. She said St. Louis County has many exemptions in its ban.
"It's a smoking ban 'light'. But I don't want to see is our businesses not on a level playing field with businesses right over the river," she said.
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Level playing field? What does that mean? Sounds like Communist code words to me. See, it's okay to take away business owners rights as long as "some" are allowed to retain those rights, and especially if other states are already doing it.
Thank goodness for that.
Jaycen Rigger
8:41 am on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Councilman Terry Hollander, District 5: "Choice is difficult to define. It all depends on who you are talking to. From the very begining I supported the idea that the best choice is the one that the 350,000 people in St. Charles County, the ones that do show up in polls, I think that’s the choice we have to go with. I've supported from the very beginning allowing the people to decide this issue rather than 7 or six council people."
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He's supported, from the very beginning, not taking a stand on his own and allowing the mob to have its way, so long as he's not held responsible.
What a quality individual.
Jaycen Rigger
8:42 am on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Councilman Joe Brazil, District 2: "I don’t smoke, I just don’t think we should be telling businesses how to run their business. I don’t even agree with the Casino’s ordinance because, that again, is going to be telling people what to do. I think government should stay out of small business."
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Thank you, Joe. You're the only person quoted in the article who is standing up for American principles.
Devon Seddon
11:48 am on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Yep.
See, we're not taking away your freedoms, you get to vote on which BAN you want.
What a joke. What freakin' country is this anyway?
Elizabeth
1:13 pm on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
You pretty much nailed it. If people would just exercise their right not to be around smoking then smokers could exercise their right to smoke where it is allowed by a property owner who exercised his right to have it on his property. Rights for all. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Thomas Laprade
12:26 am on Wednesday, August 15, 2012
How far should that 'right' extend
Nonsmokers, like anyone else, have the right to choose to be in a smokeless or smoking environment. But how far does that right extend? Should it take priority over someone else's right to choose as well?
Court houses, publicly-owned buildings and anywhere else an individual might be forced to go should be included in any smoking law.
What should not be included are places located in or on private property, providing an individual is not compelled by law to frequent or work at that specific location.
For more info
http://tctactics.org
MO Christian
12:28 am on Wednesday, August 15, 2012
This is what is not fair - smokers have always had the right to smoke any where they wanted to but the non-smokers can only go where the smokers are not especially those with asthma, COPD, allergic to cigarette smoke, etc.
What is fair - is to ban smoking indoors everywhere but your own homes and tobacco stores and have the smokers go outside to smoke. This way we can ALL share the same stores, restaurants, bars, bowling alleys & casino's together at the same time. I have allergies to cigarette smoke and get severe sinus migraines from it & due to that I can no longer enjoy bowling on leagues, partying, dancing and having a few drinks & eat out at restaurants (the smoking vs non-smoking areas in the same bldg does not work.) This would be fair so ALL of us could go everywhere.