Smoking debate brings smoldering tensions to the surface
Conway, left, and Krewson
ST. LOUIS — Alderman Stephen Conway has never been one to keep his thoughts from colleagues and the public.
Often, that means he’ll hold a meandering soliloquy on the issue of the day. But, sometimes, his effusiveness elicits the ire of other board members.
Once, Alderman Freeman Bosley Sr. advised Conway to “shut your mouth” after he interrupted a silent prayer. Another time, after a lengthy objection — props and all — to a panhandling ordinance, another seasoned alderman gently reminded Conway that the board gets paid on a biweekly basis — not by the word.
This week’s smoking ban hearing may have been another of those instances were board members felt Conway went too far.
At an earlier hearing on the subject, Conway, in a long cross-examination of sponsor Lyda Krewson — who has also authored the panhandling measure — suggested her smoking ban proposal belonged in communist Russia.
On Wednesday, Conway picked up right where he left off, calling Krewson’s attempts to regulate smoking “obnoxious” and “arrogant.” His chief criticism of Krewson was that, by allowing smoking on restaurant patios, she was bending to her constituents in the Central West End shopping district.
Bars and restaurants in Conway’s Ward, which includes most of the Shaw neighborhood and some of Tower Grove, are less likely to have patios, he said.
Krewson took most of Conway’s criticism in stride, occasionally looking back at the audience with a grin during Wednesday’s hearing at City Hall in front of the aldermanic Health Committee.
But, near the end of the three-hour session, she finally fired back.
“I have been respectful as I possibly can,” Krewson said. “While you have been what I think is on the edge of out of line.”
Conway’s reply: “I’m more than happy to call it as I see it.”
Which, of course, is a surprise to no one.
Krewson thinks it’s wrong for people to be able to smoke inside a private bar, but that people should have to walk down the street and be confronted with al fresco smokers. Yes, she IS pandering to CWE businesses. Go, Mr. Conway!
A smoking ban would hurt St. Louis City far more than St. Louis County. Economist Dr. Chad Cotti predicts that a City/County smoking ban would cost St. Louis City 19.7 percent of its bar jobs and cause many establishments to close.
Yet Alderman Krewson’s smoking ban that came out of the Health and Human Services Committee yesterday is far more stringent than the proposed County ban. The County ban will allow smoking in almost any establishment of any size willing to claim that less than 25 percent of its gross revenues are food sales and has no sunset provision. In contrast, the proposed City ban exempts only bars that are smaller than 1500 ft. and then only for 5 years This would put the more greatly threatened St. Louis City bar industry at a competitive disadvantage with St. Louis County.
If a smoking ban has to be passed, why not mirror the County law as Alderman Conway proposed yesterday or else exempt age restricted establishments as the Tennessee smoking ban does? Such an exemption would be keep minors out of venues that allow smoking, whereas the County ordinance does not. Plus it would not favor one type of business over another as the County ordinance does, and so would not be subject to the legal challenge the County ordinance will likely face if it passes. Exempting “over 21″ or “over 18″ venues would greatly minimize any business loss a smoking ban would bring to St. Louis City.
I think Conway was wrong about Alderman Krewson favoring establishments in the 28th Ward. Remember, she originally wanted to ban smoking 15 ft onto the sidewalk. Trust me, restaurants in her ward do not feel taken care of at this point.
If the smoking ban that came out of the Health and Human Services Committee yesterday passes the full Board of Aldermen, I plan to put an “over 21″ exemption on the ballot. Only 24.5 percent of St. Louis City residents favor banning smoking in bars and cocktail lounges. So I think it could pass. If it does, St. Louis could be a model for how to deal with smoking bans in other cities.
“of those instances were board members,” Gracie? proofread your meandering posts? outloud best; backwards and outloud better tho I dont do that.
Alderman Krewson said smoking bans have been widely complied with elsewhere in the country. But check out this list of violators of the Ohio smoking ban. The comments are pretty interesting.
http://www.smokechoke.com/
Economist Dr. Michael Marlow tells me that noncompliance is the best evidence that smoking bans are hurting business. But bars in New York also don’t comply due to the noise complaints generated by patrons smoking on the street. St. Louis City bars embedded in neighborhoods will have the same problems with noise complaints.
A top County official promised that there would be no enforcement of a smoking ban in the County. That will put further pressure on competing City venues not to comply.
Krewson the Kommunist. Has a nice ring to it. I’m calling it as I see it.
Bill, when people see your name, support for smoking bans goes up by 25%!
Wait wait wait. Did Bill Haas really just criticize someone else because his post was meandering and had a typo? Really?