Smoking ban approved

One more signature is all it will take to eliminate smoking from Philadelphia once and for all.

Last Wednesday, City Council passed a bill that would ban smoking in all public places in the city -- most notably restaurants and bars.

The bill now awaits the approval of Mayor John Street, and if signed would take effect in January.

Councilman Michael Nutter, who resigned on Tuesday effective July 7 to join the 2007 mayoral race, was the main sponsor of the ban, a project he has been pushing for years.

Many bar owners are displeased with the ban, and say that the government should not be intruding on their businesses.

"If there's a market for non-smoking bars, there would be non-smoking bars," said Rich Roller, owner of Blarney Stone.

Not all establishments will be covered under the ban however.

In order to get the nine council votes necessary for approval, Councilman Frank DiCicco sponsored a companion bill that allowed bars that earn over 90 percent of their revenue from alcohol sales to apply for permanent exemptions.

Sidewalk cafes will also be exempt from the ban.

Paul Ryan, owner of Smokey Joe's, said that he believes the choice should be left to the public, but his biggest concern is the law's fairness.

"If everybody's no-smoking then it's fine," Ryan said. "If they start making exceptions, that could be a problem."

Niether Ryan nor Roller said that they were concerned about a loss of business.

"The fringes of the city might lose something," Roller said. "I don't think Center City or University City will lose anyone."

He said it was unlikely that college students would travel to the suburbs to go to a bar.

Students were split on their support of the ban.

"It's inconvenient for people who do smoke, but people exaggerate the consequences," said College junior Jordan Grossman. "Several other cities have already done it."

Philadelphia will join other northeast cities that have already banned smoking including New York and Washington.

The neighboring states of Delaware and New Jersey are among those that have gone a step further and banned smoking statewide.

A major argument made by proponents of the ban is that second-hand smoke is dangerous to employees.

"Most people can't pick and choose where they work," Grossman said. "It's pretty unfair to put them in a situation that's hazardous to their health."

Roller said he believes people could get jobs elsewhere if they were too concerned about smoking.

"If you don't want to work in a [smoky] bar then work somewhere else," Roller said.

Engineering sophomore Alexander Numann, who is a smoker, said that he hopes the mayor does not sign the bill.

The smoking ban "will be a detrement to the local economy," he said.

Numann said the law would affect him because he often smokes when he eats at local diners.

"It will make me less likely to go out and spend money in local restaurants," he said.

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