Smoking Discussion Heats Up at County Council Meeting

St. Charles County Council introduced a bill at Monday night’s meeting that, if approved, will allow residents to vote on a countywide smoking ban in the August 7, 2012 election.

The ban would prohibit smoking in most indoor and some outdoor places throughout the county, allowing for exemptions for private clubs with no paid employees, tobacco stores or cigar bars and casinos.

In an earlier interview with Patch, Joe Cronin, R-District 1, who proposed the bill, said he included the casino exemption to gain support from the council. He also said Illinois lost money to St. Louis County casinos when the state banned smoking without exemptions. Cronin doesn’t want to put any of the county casino’s 1,600 jobs at risk, he said.

Cronin has also said he would approach St. Louis County officials and offer to ban smoking in St. Charles County casinos if they would do likewise. On Monday, Councilman Joe Brazil, R-District 2, said the council has already sent letters to the chairmen of St. Louis County and City of St. Louis to arrange a meeting to discuss implementing a more consistent ban.

Brazil said he is not in favor of the smoking ban or the exemptions, but if the county is going to do it, it should be done it fairly.

Heated discussion among council members followed when Councilman Paul Wynn, R- District 4, proposed four separate substitute bills to the council on Monday night.

Wynn proposed:

• Prohibiting the use, display and sale of all tobacco products in St. Charles County
• Banning all outdoor smoking on county premises, including parks and recreation areas
• Instead of placing the smoking ban on the ballot, having the County Council make an emergency bill to vote and pass a smoking ban at the meeting on Monday
• Removing the casino exemption from the bill

Brazil seconded each motion, but without enough support from the council, each proposal failed.

“I know where you’re coming from here, but I think this is an issue the people of the county need to vote on,” Councilman Terry Hollander, R-District 5, said to Wynn on Monday. “I think that our job here is to give them the opportunity to do that. ”

Councilwoman Nancy Matheny, R-District 3, agreed with Hollander, but said she didn’t understand why voters had to wait until 2012.

“I think it’s unfortunate that it’s so long before the people have the opportunity to vote on it. I think we know how the votes are going to go. If history tells us, it’s going to pass,” she said.

Cronin said the August 2012 election is the closest that wouldn’t cost the county money, and while talking with other municipalities, residents asked that the issue go to the vote of the people.

But Brazil sided with Wynn. “I don’t understand why the county council doesn’t just put it to a vote and get it over with, if it’s so important,” he said. “I definitely think it should be voted on by the county council.”

Brazil said he opposed the bill for several reasons, especially the casino exemption.

“If, in fact, we’re talking about health, then there’s no other issue,” he said. He said it is unfair to exclude the casino while other smaller businesses may suffer.

Hollander emphasized that if the bill does not exempt the casino floor, then the casino in St. Charles will have a disadvantage to ones across the river.

Councilman John White, R-District 7, criticized Wynn’s substitute proposals Monday night.

“I think this whole thing is just irresponsible and ridiculous. This is the first reading of this bill, and we have another time to go on,” he said. “I don’t understand why the rush and why the dramatic theatrics is going on for this. I can’t support it. I think we need to proceed the way we decided to proceed and let the public weigh in. “

Cronin said he thinks the county council should proceed with the plan to meet with St. Louis County and city to discuss the casino exemptions.

“I think by passing this ordinance the way it’s written is taking the first step,” he said. “We can change this ordinance before it goes to the voters, should we work out some type of agreement. “

Wynn said after the meeting that he wasn’t surprised the council didn’t approve his proposed bills, and said he would have voted no as well, but he was hoping to make a point.

“My point was this issue is of political correctness not health,” he said. He said the council must not really think smoking in establishments is that much of a health concern, because they had the opportunity to ban smoking and the sell of tobacco at Monday’s meeting and did not.

Cronin said secondhand smoke is undoubtedly a public health threat, much like the use of synthetic drugs and bath salts that the county council recently banned.

“There’s a duty we have as a council to protect those young kids who are working as servers in restaurants, and I feel strongly about this bill, not because I want to eliminate anybody’s rights, but because I want to make this county a healthier place for its 360,000 residents.”