The winners of the county commissioner elections in the fallmight have to decide the fate of smoking in public buildings inDelaware County.
The Delaware County Tobacco Free Coalition has created anordinance to ban smoking in all public buildings, Tonya MillerBailey, coordinator for the coalition, said.
Bailey said the ordinance would include all restaurants, barsand bowling alleys.
The Delaware County Board of Health voted on whether to supportthe ordinance on Aug. 12. The vote was not made before time ofpublication.
Bailey said she expected the board to support the ban, but evenwithout the support, the coalition planned on bringing theordinance to the county commissioners.
However, the candidates for the two open seats said they wouldnot support a full ban on smoking.
Tracy Barton, the Democratic nominee for the District 2 seat,said he would not support such an ordinance because he did not wantto interfere with business owners.
"I just think commissioners are overstepping their bounds ifthey tell private business owners how to run their businesses,"Barton said.
Barton would be willing to look at compromises, though, hesaid.
He thinks the ban should be based on the amount of alcohol abusiness sells, especially businesses that sell beer, wine andliquor.
Bob Wilson, the Republican candidate for the District 1 seat,also said he would support an ordinance that excluded businesseswith a three-way liquor license and an age restriction of 21.
"I understand there are people with strong feelings againstsmoking," Wilson said. "I think it would be reasonable to develop asmoking ban out of respect for those people's needs."
Wilson said he thought bars should be excluded from the ban,though.
John Brooke, the Democratic candidate for the District 1 seat,also said he was against a full ban.
"A flat-out ban never works on anything," Brooke said.
Brooke said that a ban should only apply to businesses thatallow children. Business owners who also built an air-cleaning unitthat provided clean air for non-smokers should also be exempt,Brooke said.
"If a business wants to spend the money on that, then let them,"Brooke said.
He said, though, that he did not consider creating two sectionsas providing clean air.
The coalition created a similar proposal in the summer of 2002.The proposal stated businesses must provide an enclosed andventilated room for smokers and banned smoking in restrooms,waiting areas and entryways. The ordinance would have only appliedto new restaurants.
Current county commissioners James St. Myer and JackStonebraker, who lost to Barton and Brooke in the May primary,voted against the original ordinance. Ron Bonham, who is not up forre-election this year, said in July 2002 he would be in support ofa smoking ban.
Bailey said said the coalition has not decided whether it willbring the proposal to the current commissioners or wait until afterthe election.
Either way, though, the coalition does plan on starting aneducational campaign that includes radio ads, advertisements and apublic forum in September or October sponsored by The StarPress.
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