Council Members Split on a Countywide Smoking Ban Vote

members weighed in on Councilman Joe Cronin's third attempt at getting a countywide smoking ban placed on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Cronin's proposed ban includes exemptions for , private residences, private clubs with no employees and retail tobacco stores.

Council member Nancy Matheny, District 3, said the council will spend the next two weeks discussing whether they can come to an agreement on what types of exemptions should be included in the bill.

"We have six members of the County Council that are present and Paul Wynn who is present by phone," she said. "Everyone is in a different place on this continuum... Our goal will be to find out if we can get four (votes) without a veto or five so a veto wouldn't matter."

Matheny said she'd prefer a statewide ban, but since that isn't being addressed, she prefers it to be handled the same in a municipal area. She said St. Louis County has many exemptions in its ban.

"It's a smoking ban 'light'. But I don't want to see is our businesses not on a level playing field with businesses right over the river," she said.

Councilman Joe Brazil, District 2: "I don’t smoke, I just don’t think we should be telling businesses how to run their business. I don’t even agree with the Casino’s ordinance because, that again, is going to be telling people what to do. I think government should stay out of small business."

Councilman John White, District 7: "We've been kicking this around for so long, talk about choice. I stand where I stood before, it should be in people’s hands to decide. I support the bill."

Councilman Terry Hollander, District 5: "Choice is difficult to define. It all depends on who you are talking to. From the very begining I supported the idea that the best choice is the one that the 350,000 people in St. Charles County, the ones that do show up in polls, I think that’s the choice we have to go with. I've supported from the very beginning allowing the people to decide this issue rather than 7 or six council people."

What do you think about a countywide smoking ban? Should there be exemptions?