Over 100 restaurant owners and patrons of local restaurants and bars gathered at Miss Katie’s Diner (1900 W. Clybourn Street) Saturday to rally in opposition of a proposed Milwaukee workplace smoking ban.
The Milwaukee County Hospitality Association, Tavern League of Wisconsin (TLW) and Wisconsin Restaurant Association (WRA) hosted the rally. Supporters of the rally included Miller Brewing Co. & Miller Brands, Anheuser Busch and Beechwood Distributing.
Event participants are launching a full campaign against the proposal, using flyers, post-cards and arranging for one-on-one visits with politicians and customers.
“We are a self-regulating industry and that we do not need this restricting ordinance,” said Sharon Ward, event organizer and Southern Zone Vice President of the TLW. Ward, who noted she is a non-smoker, is also the owner of Wardski???s on South 15th Street for the past 30 years.
“The proposed ban is a deprivation of another freedom,” she said.
Barb Mercer, President of the Madison/Dane Co. TLW warned against a slippery slope saying once Milwaukee passes the ban the rest of the state would, joining 11 other states with a full ban. Madison implemented a smoking ban this past summer.
Other participants expressed concern about tax bases incurred by business decreases.
“I haven’t heard yet how the city will compensate for lost revenue,” Joe Young, owner of Ninos in St. Francis said. Other concerns included a loss of clientele.
Milwaukee Alderman Bob Donovan is part of the force against the ban.
He told the audience bars and restaurants “don’t need big government telling you how to run your lives,” and “bar owners cannot afford to lose business” as a result of a smoking ban.
“If everyone who opposes the ban speaks up, the ban will not pass as it is,” Donovan said. He anticipated a close vote in the Common Council this week.
Donovan also said, “I’ve spoken to eight aldermen who oppose the ban as it is, though a majority [of the Common Council] supports some form of a ban.”
Dr. George Litts, a former Marquette University professor of German and World Literature, said smoking patrons should have the same rights as non-smoking patrons.
“At some level, it’s more than economics or business. It’s about individual rights,” Litts said. He predicts Milwaukee bar patrons will seek establishments outside the city where there would not be a ban.
The Milwaukee Common Council’s Public Safety Committee is holding a special meeting Thursday at nine a.m. to consider the proposed ordinance. If passed, it will go the full council on March 21.
Popularity: 6% [?]
