St. Charles County Council votes to put smoking ban on ballot

Before a packed audience Tuesday night, the St. Charles County Council voted 4-2 to send a proposed smoking ban to voters in the Nov. 6, 2012, election.
The bill, which would outlaw smoking in most public places in the county, including municipalities, now goes to County Executive Steve Ehlmann, who has 10 days to sign or veto it.
County spokesman John Sonderegger said Ehlmann plans to take all 10 of those days to make his decision. If Ehlmann vetoes the bill, a super majority — five of the council's seven members — would be needed to override the veto.
Bill sponsors Joe Cronin, R-District 1, Nancy Matheny, R-District 3, John White, R-District 7, and Terry Hollander, R-District 5, all voted for the bill. Joe Brazil, R-District 2, and Jerry Daugherty, D-District 6, voted against. Paul Wynn, R-District 4, was absent.
The bill originally called for putting the ban on the August 2012 ballot, but was amended to set the election in November 2012, when voter turnout is expected to be greater, especially for the presidential election.
"My objective was to let the people of this county decide this issue, and I reached that objective tonight," Cronin said after the meeting.
Local bar and restaurant owners spoke passionately to the council about their fears if such a bill would become law. Some said outside the council chambers that if their businesses were not exempt from the smoking ban, they might have to close their doors.
Jake Alcorn, who has owned Eddie's Pub on Fifth Street in St. Charles, for the past two years, said at least 75 percent of his customers are smokers. Alcorn said he counted 12 of the 15 people in his bar smoking before he came to the meeting.
"It's going to hurt business," Alcorn said. "I was told the other night, 'Just sell another drink.' But I'm still liable for my customers. People that do smoke want a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. That's how they do it. If they can't smoke, they're going to go home. I don't serve food. I serve alcohol. Most people that go out in the real world and drink alcohol also smoke."
The proposed ban would include aquariums, galleries, libraries, museums, banks, laundromats, professional offices, retail service establishments, bars, bingo facilities, child care and adult day care facilities, convention facilities, public and private educational facilities, elevators, health care facilities, 80 percent of hotel and motel rooms, common areas in apartment buildings, condominiums, trailer parks, retirement facilities, nursing homes and other multiple-unit residential facilities, polling places, public transportation vehicles, restaurants and food establishments, common-use restrooms, lobbies, reception areas and hallways, retail stores, places of public meetings, malls, sports arenas and theaters, places of employment, enclosed residential facilities and some outdoor areas.
One of the biggest complaints among opponents of the ban is that the bill would exempt Ameristar Casino in St. Charles. Other exemptions include private residences, 20 percent of hotel and motel rooms, private clubs without employees and cigar bars.
Standing outside the County Executive Building before Tuesday's meeting was Bill Hannegan, who was helping hold a large sign that had a red circle with a line through the words "Casino Exemption." Hannegan lives in St. Louis but has joined the bill's opponents in the county because of the St. Louis City Smoke-Free Air Act of 2009.
"I feel very sorry for the bar owners in St. Charles County," Hannegan said. "And any law that's passed in St. Charles County is going to have an impact. We hope to eventually defeat the smoking ban in St. Louis city and St. Louis County. That becomes more difficult if St. Charles County loses its freedom. Particularly for adult establishments like bars and casinos."
According to the St. Charles County bill, Ameristar would lose its exemption when gambling facilities in St. Louis, St. Louis County, Jefferson County and the Illinois counties of Madison and St. Clair lose their exemptions. St. Louis' ordinance will expire in 2016, but St. Louis County does not have a sunset clause.
"(The County Council) is worried that if the casino would close, they'd lose 1,600 jobs," said Bill Meinhold, who resides south of St. Charles. "They're not worried about 1,600 business people losing one employee."
White owns a business in central Illinois. He said business owners he spoke with there told him a smoking ban put in place two years ago hasn't affected their bottom lines.