CC Minutes - 09/11/00 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Lee Mortimore, 5295 Donald Street, related how his wife suffered health complications and died from exposure to secondhand smoke. Dr. Sarah Hendrickson, 1036 Adams Street, commented that exposure to dangerous secondhand smoke should not be a condition of employment for people who work in bars, bingo parlors and bowling alleys. She added that everyone deserved clean air and that crafting exceptions to the ordinance would be a legislative nightmare. She added that a smoking ban would not adversely affect business. Elizabeth Thorin, 2648 Augusta Street, spoke as a representative of ARC of Oregon. She urged careful consideration of the smoking ordinance. She said that ARC bingo business could be seriously impacted by a loss of smoker business. Doris Richie, 578 Baxter Road, spoke against the ordinance. She said that she was a bingo player and it was not fair for others to pass judgement on her because she smoked. She said that the City Council "was not God." V. Pat Lombardi, 3326 Storey Boulevard, spoke as a physiology teacher. He submitted written material to the council and those present in the audience showing that secondhand smoke had 25 times the carbon monoxide of regular smoking. He read over a list of other harmful chemicals used in cigarettes and noted that the ammonia used in cigarettes was to help the nicotine vaporize to the effect that smokers were actually freebasing nicotine. Jim Wilcox, 205 West 31st Avenue, commented that enlightened societies protected their citizens from dangers and he believed that it should be the same with smoking. Terry Connolly, representing the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, spoke first to youth access. He said that the chamber appreciated the intent of the language in the ordinance. He raised concern that the original penalties for sales employees were too harsh and advocated a similar program to the OLCC Responsible Vendor Program. Regarding the smoke-free workplace component of the ordinance, Mr. Connolly said that the chamber did not dismiss the notion that people deserved freedom to make individual choices, but also believed that conditions that adversely affected health could not be ignored. Mr. Connolly noted that he had presented information to the council prior to its work session on the proposed ordinance. He expressed his pleasure that the comments/suggestions had been worked with by staff. He called for designated smoking areas in bars and restaurants. He also asked for extra time for businesses to become compliant if the ordinance passed. He asked for a two-year extension. He said that it would be unfair to ask Eugene businesses to compete with other businesses in neighboring communities with such a short time to prepare. Clay Par'ton, Oregon Health Division, spoke in favor of the ordinance. Mr. Parton read from a study of the Corvallis ordinance which said ':..the smoking ban, in Corvallis bars, has had little or no economic impact on most establishments and has produced no measurable impact on overafl alcohol sales. It does appear associated with video poker revenues which have affected a few establishments to smafl extent. Some migration of smokers to nearby establishments seems to have occurred, as expected, but the economic impact of this appears offset by increased patronage of nonsmokers..." MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 11, 2000 Page 8 Regular Meeting