City Council Extinguishes Proposed Smoking Ban in Wisconsin

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Smoking Ban Extinguished in Wisconsin You may have never heard of the city of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, before reading this story.

You may never hear about Fitchburg again.

But for now, for today, you need to know that in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, there is a local government that is sensible, believes in restraint, and does not pass legislation based on trends…and bad science.

Every once in a while, it is good to win one.

More from Emily Winter at The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin, below the fold.

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Even after an amendment passed to allow smoking in cigar bars, the City Council voted Tuesday against a citywide smoking ban.

The proposed ban was shot down by a vote of 5-2, with the only supporting votes coming from the ordinance’s sponsors, Ald. Steve Arnold and Ald. William Horns.

Three members of the eight-person council said they will not support a local smoking ban under any conditions. Two members who voted it down said they did not like certain stipulations of the particular ban, and one member was absent.

Ald. Jason Williams, who does not agree with local bans, said he favors leaving the choice to establish smoke-free bars and restaurants up to business owners.

Proponents of the ordinance argued the city can’t afford to wait for a statewide or national ban because Dane County residents favor smoking bans at higher rates than the rest of Wisconsin.

“The needs and desires of citizens around the state aren’t uniform,” Arnold said.

A letter read at the meeting from state Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, who is leading an effort for a statewide ban, encouraged the council to adopt the local ban.

More than 100 community members showed up to speak to the council or register their opinion on the proposed ordinance, with 73 supporting the ban and 49 opposing it .

Smoke-Free Fitchburg spokesperson Jeanie Sieling said her organization collected 292 signatures from Fitchburg residents who supported the ban.

“There’s no reason why Fitchburg has to be alone. Other communities can pass this, too,” she said.

But Ald. Scott Norton, who is not in favor of any local ban, said he surveyed his constituents and found that of the 33 percent who returned surveys, 56 percent didn’t want the ban.

Those who voiced opposition to the ban at Tuesday’s meeting were mostly tavern owners and employees.

“This is an economic disaster that can hurt this city,” said Barb Mercer, Fitchburg resident and president of the Dane County Tavern League. “If you follow in the footsteps of Madison … it’s just going to drive business away.”

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Ald. Roger Laurel Tesch and Thomas Darcy took issue with specifics of the ban. Tesch said he thought the ban was written so strictly that smoking would be banned on farms in Fitchburg. The ban states that work environments with one or more employees must prohibit smoking.

Other concerns were the cigar bar exemption and Aug. 1 enforcement date. As a result, the council made amendments to push the start date to Jan. 1, 2007 and grant cigar bars smoking rights.

But Tesch and Darcy said there were still too many problems with the ban, and Mayor Tom Clauder expressed concern over enforcing the ordinance. He said he did not want police to have to juggle smoking related calls with other issues.

Arnold said earlier this week he did not yet have a contingency plan if the ordinance were to fail.

Sieling said Smoke-Free Fitchburg will probably gear up for the next round of council elections in April 2007 to ensure that alders’ stance on a smoking ban will play a role in the election.

Let’s hope that the voters of Fitchburg, when election time comes next year, remember that a majority of their elected officials believed that the city has more important things to do than micro-manage the private lives of the citizens there. Our congratulations go out to some local elected officials who looked beyond what was easy and would look good in a sound-bite or a headline to actually do the job the people entrusted to them.

Posted on Wednesday, July 12th, 2006 at 2:31 pm.