On July 12, the Chicago City Council heard from supporters and opponents regarding a controversial smoking ban that could be imposed upon the city. If the proposal passed, individuals would be prohibited from lighting up in bars, restaurants and even offices.
While proposals to ban smoking in all public accommodations have come up before in City Council, supporters now claim to have more votes than ever before and to be very close to final passage. For some, such as Ald. Ed Smith of the 28th Ward, it is a health issue, as he told CBS 2 News: 'In the final analysis, people have to make up their minds whether they want to help save peoples' lives or not.' However, others such as former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka pleaded with the council last week to not 'impose the will of the few on the lives of the many,' according to the Chicago Tribune. Ditka also suggested the City Council should push to ban smoking entirely if it seriously wanted to address the health concerns. As for Mayor Daley, CBS 2 News reported that he has previously favored exempting bars—including the bar area in restaurants—from any Chicago ban on smoking.
Later in the hearing, a Chicago woman who said secondhand smoke gave her throat cancer at 37 spoke in favor of banning smoking in public places. Mary Rondoni, 39, believes that secondhand smoke she breathed in during her careers as a bartender and waitress led her to being diagnosed with late-stage throat cancer, often seen in older longtime smokers. Rondoni's and Ditka's comments came after Smith, chairman of the City Council's Health Committee, introduced legislation that would prohibit smoking inside public spaces. The measure would also force smokers who gather outside office doorways to be at least 25 feet away from any area where smoking is banned. The only exceptions are for private homes, hotels and retail tobacco stores.
According to the Tribune, the debate has ignited in several Chicago suburbs in recent years, with Evanston, Skokie, and Highland Park among more than 1,900 municipalities across the country that have some type of restrictions on smoking. Seven states, including California, Massachusetts and New York, ban smoking in bars and restaurants.
Fourty-fourth Ward Ald. Tom Tunney, who owns Ann Sather Restaurants and is a former chairman of the Illinois Restaurant Association, has been pushing a restaurant-only smoking ban until 9 p.m., after which customers could smoke freely.
Local reactions
Owners and employees of gay bars are not too receptive to the idea of a smoking ban. Sonya Gordon, who is affiliated with the Lucky Horseshoe Lounge, feels that the ban would be detrimental to bars. 'Most people smoke when they drink, so I think it would be bad,' she said.
Jim Keup, owner of Jackhammer, thinks the ban would be bad for all. 'It would be unfortunate for bars. I don't smoke and second-hand smoke sometimes bothers me, but when you go to a bar, it's something you expect,' he said. He added that he thought that prohibiting smoking would hurt business permanently.
Mimi Lake, a co-owner of Star Gaze, is absolutely against a ban. ' [ The ban ] is going to draw people outside and then we'll have problems with residents complaining about too much noise. Taking away smoking is ridiculous. It's going to kill us.' She also feels that circulation is important. 'It's up to the bar owner to provide enough ventilation. I've had people tell me that this is the only bar they can come in and not be bothered.'
Lake also does not take solace in findings in other cities that claim that smoking bans have not hurt business there: 'I don't care what it did in New York or California. This is Chicago—it's a whole different place.'