Prepared exclusively for BPAA by Berman and Company
October 2005

Chicago

Chicago Illinois - Council committee approves smoking ban in city
By Kate Cooper , www.chicagodefender.com , October 28, 2005

Chicago moved one step closer to smoke-free on Thursday when the City Council’s Health Committee unanimously passed a proposed smoking ban.

The ban now goes directly to the full City Council for a vote.

Restaurant owners and workers once again turned out in force to oppose the ban, saying it will cost restaurants money and jobs.

During the short meeting, Ald. Ed Smith (28 th) said the committee had “heard all we need to hear” and was ready to let the mayor and other aldermen make a final decision.

“I believe the thing to do is what I’ve done,” Smith said. “It’s a great step. It’s further than we’ve ever been.”

The first opportunity for the City Council to vote on the ordinance would be at the regular Nov. 1 meeting. Smith wouldn’t commit to a date for the final vote, however.

“I don’t know when it’s going to come up. We’re going to talk and we’ll be as expeditious as we can, but I’m not in a big hurry,” he said.

Colleen McShane, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, said that restaurant industry representatives had “continued to move” towards a compromise with smoke-free advocates. The association submitted a compromise ordinance yesterday, but Ald. Patrick O’Connor (40 th) said committee members had not had time to read it, and moved to vote on the currently proposed ordinance.

Restaurant industry representatives have pushed for a revised ordinance that would allow smoking areas in restaurants but with added requirements for ventilation.

The ordinance approved by the committee bans smoking in virtually all restaurants, bars and public places. The measure “delighted” the American Cancer Society, said Steve Derks, CEO of the Illinois Division, after the meeting.

“This isn’t about keeping the smoke out of food,” Derks said. “It’s about keeping the smoke out of people’s bodies.”

Mary Rondoni, a former Chicago waitress and bartender, is a cancer survivor who has become the “poster child” for the American Cancer Society’s smoking ban campaign. She called the Chicago ban a “no brainer” after the meeting. Rondoni has appeared in television commercials where she blames her struggle with throat cancer on exposure to second-hand smoke on the job.

“How many people want to work in a cancer-causing environment?” she said. The American Cancer Society says that the ordinance will protect an estimated 215,000 Chicago restaurant workers in addition to protecting patrons.

Some restaurant workers argue that the ordinance itself is the killer, saying it will kill their jobs.

Elizabeth Carlson, a server who works for Ala Carte Entertainment, a company that owns bars and restaurants throughout the Chicago area, said the ban could drive customers out of smoke-free Chicago into the suburbs, where many communities still don’t have bans.

“We work close to the suburbs ... people can just go there,” she said. “These are our jobs.”

Stefanie Zygadlo, a bartender for Ala Carte, said her opposition to the ban involves basic rights.

“I just don’t think the government should decide,” she said.

But Rondoni said many restaurant employees are opposing the ban because they fear reprisals from employers if they openly support it.

She said an anonymous poll would show widespread support for the ban among employees. “You would be stupefied” by the level of support, she said.

Didier Durand, chef at Cyrano’s Bistrot in River North, said restaurant owners should be the ones to decide whether to ban smoking in their establishments.

According to Durand, servers in his restaurant are never forced to work in smoking areas.

“In 10 years, I’ve never had a complaint by a server,” he said.

Durand predicted that lost revenue resulting from the ban would hit many restaurants hard.

“We hope the council realizes it would be a big loss to the city,” he said.