CHICAGO TRIBUNE BUSINESS EDITORIAL

Reading the Smoke Signals

Published October 6, 2005

Those campaigning for a sweeping ban on smoking in Chicago's restaurants and bars got a lesson in City Hall politics Wednesday.

Led by the American Cancer Society, they have mounted an aggressive public relations campaign in recent months that seemed to be gaining ground. There was supposed to be a vote in the City Council's Health Committee Wednesday, and there were some predictions that the smoking ban would easily pass there and be approved by the City Council a day later.

But Wednesday morning all of that went up, well, in smoke. The vote was delayed. The most likely reason: Mayor Richard Daley still isn't comfortable with the proposed ordinance, which would impose a sweeping ban on smoking in most public places, including restaurants and bars. The mayor raised his reservations again Wednesday, without taking credit--or blame--for delaying the vote.

"Everybody is for a form of smoking ban," he said. "But there are legitimate bars that have a right to want smoking. They have a business and they pay taxes. They are looking at some form [of compromise] ..."

Restaurants that cater to smokers rightly worry that a ban would lead to a loss of revenue. That's a dwindling number of restaurants, but still significant in the city's economic life.

This page has argued that the decision to allow smoking should be left up to the individual restaurants, because they alone know what their customers want. That's still our preference.

But the direction seems to be toward some kind of new restriction on smoking in the city. The anti-smoking forces have waged an effective campaign, but they are not likely to get the sweeping ban they want. They can overplay their hand and possibly get nothing--or they can start talking about compromise.

Word is that the Daley administration is looking for an exemption for bars, whether attached to restaurants or not. The Illinois Restaurant Association is supposed to come up with a compromise proposal. Let's hear what they have to offer.

There are other good ideas out there. Ald. Burton Natarus (42nd) has suggested restaurants, bars and bowling alleys be allowed to buy a "tobacco use" license, costing up to $500 a year. The license fees could be earmarked for smoking cessation programs or used to pay for monitoring the compliance with air ventilation standards.

The anti-smoking side offered a minor concession in the proposed law: a temporary "hardship exemption" for restaurants and bars that could prove a sales drop of 15 percent or more after one smoke-free year. The exemption, however, would be good only for one year and would not be renewable. That's not much of a concession.

The supporters of a smoking ban feel like they can taste victory, but in all likelihood they are going to have to show some flexibility if they want to succeed. They're not there yet.



Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune