Angleton Panel on Smoking Ban Should Take Their Time.
I would like to ask the Angleton smoking-ban panel to use this opportunity to not merely follow in Lake Jackson’s footsteps, but to try and work on a compromise that we all can live with.
For the 30 plus years I’ve lived in this area. Angleton has always had the reputation as being more friendly and welcoming than its snooty sister to the south.
Councilman Henry, good legislation reflects give and take and does not need to “leave everyone unhappy”, as you have been quoted in another publication.
As a result of Lake Jackson’s smoking ban, every smoker I know has taken their evening business to Angleton, Freeport, Clute or West Columbia. As most of your have read, West Columbia may be very near allowing alcoholic beverage sales in their restaurants also. From what I understand, Angleton would not have Giovanni’s had this already been allowed in West Columbia.
Restaurant owners in Angleton may not notice any change in their nightly receipts, but I assure you my $50-$100 per visit has moved to your establishments.
I have no qualm about declaring all public buildings non-smoking, other than fine-dining establishments and pubs, or the local diner with an established clientele. And fast food joints? Most, if not all, already are non-smoking.
Furthermore, I respect the non-smokers rights as well and gladly put out my cigarette when a non-smoker has been seated in the smoking section at a table adjacent to me.
Angleton, you have a few very good restaurants and attracting more would be much to your benefit. More restaurants mean more tax revenue, and more visitors spending their money.
I’m asking the panel to weigh all the choices very carefully with an eye to the future. If you truly are “in no hurry”, then why not take the study in stages? How about offering several alternatives to the property owners that run the restaurants?
Maybe you could mandate smoking sections comply with one of the following choices.
A smoke ventilation system with a minimum rating on air movement and power.
A totally enclosed smoking area with the door at a minimum distance from the nearest non-smoking table.
A smoking section located in an opposite end of the building separated by a non-dining area of a minimum amount of feet.
Separate ventilation systems. (The most expensive)
Outside patio dining with a micro-mist system to cool the patio for smoking diners.
Or lastly, such as for pubs or established smoking bastions, the option of declaring the entire property “smoking”, at the risk of losing any new non-smoking customers. Not a likely choice, but a choice nonetheless.
There are options available to the city besides an outright “ban”, and I hope the panel will investigate them all.
And one last point.
Do any of the non-smokers out there have any idea how much in taxes we smokers pay for tobacco?
Not to mention a new tax that our Governor just pushed through! Yes Dr. Veselka, more and more of us quit each day, but not necessarily for health reasons.
The non-smoking decision should rest with the property owner, and the non-smokers will eventually pick up the tax burden paid by tobacco tax when you have converted the entire world to a non-smoking zone.
Can’t we all get along and reach a compromise?
i