[C-U Smokefree] FWD NEWS ARTICLE: Fight against smoking not over

[kdrea at lungil.org]

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Fight against smoking not over 
By Jon Davis Daily Herald Staff Writer

They couldn't persuade Arlington Heights trustees to adopt an indoor
smoking ban, so anti-smoking activists are pondering a more direct
appeal to the village's electorate.

"This is far from over," said Aaron Doeppers, a spokesman for the
Arlington Heights Smoke-Free Coalition.

On Tuesday morning - just 12 hours after village trustees rejected
an ordinance banning smoking in all workplaces and indoor public places
including bars, bowling alleys and restaurants - the group hinted
its next move may be for a ballot.

In a written statement, the group accused trustees of abdicating
their responsibility to guard public health and said the coalition
"will consider passing petitions to place a referendum on a future
ballot."

That would be just fine with Trustee Stephen Daday, who proposed
the ordinance Monday night.

"Sure," Daday said. "I think the majority of the people in this
community would support such a ban in the form that we proposed it."

Daday proposed the ban following 3¨ hours of debate at village hall,
during which no one disputed that second-hand smoke is bad, and most
everyone agreed a statewide ban would be a good idea.

Supporters of a local ban said Arlington Heights should join Skokie
and Wilmette in the vanguard of anti-smoking efforts and claim studies
prove there are no adverse economic effects of such bans.

Opponents said a local ban would drive customers to neighboring
towns and cited studies proving there are  adverse economic effects.

Trustees rejected the ban 6-2, which killed it for now. They will
not discuss it when the village board meets Feb. 16, Village Manager
Bill Dixon said.

Monday's outcome disrupted the momentum of anti-smoking efforts,
which scored victories last year when Skokie and Wilmette banned smoking
in indoor public places.

Evanston will soon debate a similar ban, and it remains to be seen
whether Arlington Heights' vote will make a difference there.

Neither Daday nor Trustee Tom Stengren, the only one to join Daday
in support of the ban, said they were surprised by the vote.

"It was a foregone conclusion. We really didn't need the meeting
because everybody's minds were made up," Stengren said.

Stengren said anti-smoking forces should concentrate their efforts
on persuading Chicago to go smoke-free because once the city does
so, the state would be sure to follow.

But what if the coalition goes for a referendum?

"I'm not generally in favor of them, but this is one of those issues
that has an impact on every single person in the community," Stengren
said. "Citizens will have to bring it up if that's what they want."

Doeppers said many of the coalition's 500 members are already asking
about circulating petitions to place a referendum on the Nov. 2 ballot.

And regardless of whether a referendum drive becomes reality, he
said the coalition's public awareness and education efforts will continue.

Smoke: Trustee says Chicago key to fight 






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