[C-U Smokefree] FW: Clean Indoor Air - Lessons learned letter from Colorado State Rep

[Kathy Drea]

Please see the letter below from Colorado State Representative Gary
Lindstrom.  We should share this letter with city council members.
Kathy

Kathy Drea, Director, Public Policy
American Lung Association of Illinois-Iowa
3000 Kelly Lane
Springfield, IL  62711
1-800-788-5864
FAX:  (217) 787-5916
kdrea at lungil.org
www.lungilia.org
 


-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Peysakhovich [mailto:MPeysakhovich at heart.org] 
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 12:38 PM
Subject: Clean Indoor Air - Lessons learned letter from Colorado State
Rep

Dear Fellow Oak Parkers,
I am attaching a very interesting letter regarding clean indoor air
ordinances, which I hope is read by every elected official on Oak Park!
As
you can see, there is NO excuse for opposing such an important public
health
measure!
Best regards, 
Mark 
Please see the letter pasted below from Colorado State Representative
Gary
Lindstrom. While Representative Lindstrom was a County Commissioner he
championed a smokefree law in Summit County, CO. He now encourages other
elected officials to follow suit.  In this letter he candidly shares his
lessons learned during the campaign, something we don't often see from
an
elected official's perspective. The letter is a good example of how
political champions can help to push the movement forward outside the
borders of their own communities.  It also demonstrates yet again that
the
sky doesn't fall after smokefree ordinances pass.

 GARY LINDSTROM
Colorado State Representative
House District 56
Serving Eagle County, Lake County and Summit County
138 Lakeview Circle West
Breckenridge, CO  80424-8811


Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners
100 Jefferson County Pkwy,
Golden, CO  80419


Dear Commissioners,

After serving nearly ten years as Summit County Commissioner, on July 8,
2004 I was appointed to fill the vacancy for House District 56
Representative.   As Summit County Commissioner, I considered the
passing
of a countywide smoking ban in all public places including bars and
restaurants as one of my major accomplishments.  Summit County was the
first Colorado County to pass a ban in both the unincorporated and
incorporated areas.

Recent media coverage of Jefferson County residents' support for
smoke-free
laws prompts me to congratulate you and urge you on to the next step.
An
approval rating of 68% for laws making all workplaces and public places,
including restaurants, is very clear: your constituents would support
the
enactment of a strong smoke-free law in unincorporated Jefferson County.
The fact that four Jefferson County municipalities also support such
laws,
and would include bars in the law, makes it even clearer that you would
be
supported in enacting a comprehensive law that would leave no worker
unprotected.

As a former Summit County Commissioner I can say with authority that
enacting an ordinance to protect workers and the public from secondhand
smoke has been one of the most politically responsible actions we had
taken
as a board of county commissioners.  This decision has been good for the
health and the economy of unincorporated Summit County and has prompted
each of our county's municipalities to enact smoke-free ordinances.

I want to share some of the lessons learned in Summit County to help you
address the issues you may be considering:

      Be prepared to have people threaten you with recall and tell you
that
      the world will end if they cannot have smoking in their business.
      None of this has happened.
      None of the towns supported the ban in the beginning but after a
      ballot referendum that passed by over 65% of the voters, they
decided
      to pass an ordinance at the same time as the county.
      It is much better to pass an ordinance than to go through an
      election, particularly because this is a health and safety issue
      which is appropriately handled by the elected officials. Our
ballot
      issue was non-binding and advisory.
      There should not be any exemptions to the law.  Boulder is now
      finding out that they have a very weak law that allows exemptions
for
      ventilation systems.  Pushing for exemptions, including the
allowance
      of ventilation, is a ploy by the tobacco industry in an attempt to
      avoid a decrease in smoking.  The people you are trying to protect
      are the workers.  The workers will still have to deal with any
      exemptions to the law.  It's really about worker health and the
      public's health -don't compromise on this because of
unsubstantiated
      fears from some business owners
       We added enforcement in the regulation but in reality, the law is
      self-enforcing.  The patrons will not allow someone to smoke and
will
      tell him or her to stop if they light up.  I have said that it is
the
      blue haired person with a large purse who will do the enforcing.
      There have not been any downturns in business since the ban.
People
      will go outside to smoke and that is what they are doing.  Butts
on
      the ground are an issue in some places so they must provide
somewhere
      to dispose of them.
      We all know that a Colorado state law prohibiting smoking in all
      public places and workplaces is not likely to happen.  It is up to
      the local governments to take action.  There are seven states that
      ban smoking now including New York and California (imagine that)
but
      Colorado will probably not ever be one of them.  Even so, in every
      state that has passed a state-wide smoke-free law, numerous local
      laws were passed first, and played an essential part in creating
the
      support needed for a state-wide law.
      Promoting your county/community as a smoke-free community will
likely
      bring new visitors, customers and residents to your community.  We
      have seen communities start to market the fact that smoking is not
      allowed.  There were some concerns about our foreign visitors but
we
      found out that Canada had done this a long time ago and their
      business increased.  Whistler was the number one ski area in the
      world last year and they banned smoking many years ago.

Please consider this important step to make Jefferson County even
better.

I will make myself available if you would like me to come down for a
work
session or further discussions about our experience.

Best Regards,

Gary Lindstrom
Representative
Colorado House District 56




Annie Tegen
Program Manager
Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights
American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation
5231 Kensington Place North
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 545-7175 phone
(206) 632-7515 fax
www.no-smoke.org
annie.tegen at no-smoke.org

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