Toledo voters yesterday chose to weaken Toledo's smoking ban, causing some area bar owners to hoist a toast to victory, and local city and health officials to breathe a collective sigh of frustration.
Issue Four, which passed by several thousand votes, amended Toledo's Clean Indoor Air Ordinance to allow smoking in bowling alleys, bingo parlors, most bars, and restaurants with nine or fewer employees.
The issue also expands the allowable size of smoking lounges in larger restaurants from 30 percent to 50 percent of their service area.
Bar owners, who put forth the amendment as an effort to save
jobs they claim were lost from Toledo bars and restaurants because of the year-old smoking ban now say they are satisfied with the ordinance.
"This is a vote from the blood, sweat, and tears of a lot of individual bar owners in Toledo. Now we have an ordinance that is a little more fair, that accommodates the interests of smokers and nonsmokers alike," said Arnie Elzey, owner of Arnie's Saloon and leading member of Citizens for Common Sense, the group that sponsored the amendment.Local health officials say that allowing smoking in some establishments and not others will selectively put workers, as well as patrons, at risk to the ill effects of secondhand smoke,.
"What they've really done is set Toledo back 20, 30 years in terms of health. The only jobs it may help are those of doctors that have to care for smoke-related diseases," said Toledo-Lucas County health commissioner Dr. David Grossman.
City officials also voiced their disappointment.
"This will water down the overall impact of the ban. It troubles me personally. We put forth the health argument, which was the factual argument. But sometimes the facts don't prevail," Toledo Mayor Jack Ford said.
Those campaigning against the amendment say they believe part of the reason for the defeat may have been that some voters thought that by voting "yes" they were voting for the ban, rather than weakening it.
"It's a very confusing issue," said Terry Carey, campaign coordinator of Citizens for a Healthy Toledo, which fought the amendment.
Ms. Carey said health groups and anti-smoking advocates will focus efforts on reaching out to bars and restaurants who have gone nonsmoking and encouraging them to stay that way.
Contact Tad Vezner at:
tvezner@theblade.com
or 419-724-6050.
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