Barb Fraser: 20 questionable exemptions

Did you hear Barb Fraser on the Mark Reardon Show? She says 20 of the 111 granted County exemptions are questionable. That isn't much of a basis to scrap a law.
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2011/01/24/mark-reardon-show-monday-january-24th/

City vs. County Exemption Lists

Dear County Executive Dooley,

Please check this out. Though the St. Louis City smoking ban exemption requirements are stricter than the County's, thus far 250 establishments have applied for exemption in the City. The City requires that establishments have less than 25 percent food sales, plus prohibits the entrance of those under 21 and limits exemption to those establishments under 2000 square ft. The County only requires that food sales be under 25 percent, yet the County so far has fewer applications than the City. I don't think the number of exemptions for the County is really out of line. And I am sure some of the current County exemptions will be revoked over the next few month if the exemption process is allowed to proceed as provided in the County smoking ordinance.
http://www.studlife.com/news/region/2011/01/24/local-businesses-react-to-new-smoking-ban/

County Executive Dooley, County establishments have taken out kitchens and fired kitchen staff in order to gain these exemptions the voters allowed them. It is only fair to give this law a chance to work just as it was voted on.

Sincerely,

Bill Hannegan
314.367.3779

The Ritz-Carlton Flouts the Smoking Ban

I got a call from a Clayton business owner last Friday that the Ritz-Carlton planned to hold a cigar event in violation of the Clayton smoking ban. He said Clayton officials knew about the event and at first moved to stop it, but then relented and let it go on. Like many Clayton business owners, this owner is still furious at the Ritz-Carlton Cigar Club for selling out other Clayton businesses in order to secure their own exemption from the Clayton smoking ban. As we know, Pat Lindsey got wind of this and called the police. The Ritz got a $1000 ticket, but according to a poster on the Post-Dispatch website, flouting the law paid off for the Ritz:

"I have a family member that is a manager at the Ritz and spoke with that person yesterday. They, apparently, believed that they were in complete compliance with the law. They also said that there were plenty of county lawmakers who attended the event, that the event cost them $10K to put on, anyway, and most importantly, in this person's opinion, that the publicity they received from the violation garnered them an additional 30+ members to the Cigar Club.

The manager said they estimated those 30 members would generate around $50K in additional income for the Ritz. "

Dooley Precedent

If County Executive Dooley gets the County smoking ban substantially changed or gets a new ban passed, won't that be the first time the County Council has scrapped a voter approved law less than a year after its implementation? A lot of us assumed that a law put in by voters couldn't be touched for at least a year. The O'Fallon City Council and the Cape Girardeau City Council will be watching Dooley on this. Both have smoking bans on the ballot they would like to change as soon as possible.

Dooley Should Blame Health Department

County Executive Dooley is wrongly blaming the County smoking ban itself for the current confusion when he should be blaming the County Counselor, the County Heath Department and the Department of Revenue. These folks set out to enforce this year old law in complete confusion, making stuff up as they went along, without apparently having read the law first. Are bowling alleys exempt? Pool halls? Didn't they have a year to figure that out? Instead inspectors came up with freewheeling nonsense about walling off bars, air filtration in the bar, requiring certain fast-shutting doors, special signage asking for complaints concerning smoke in nonsmoking areas and under 21 requirements. Not of which is in the law!

We never said anything about this since the Health Department was being nice and letting a lot of stuff go. But now County Executive Dooley is getting ready to scrap a law the public voted for due to the chaos these County officials caused. So now I have to point this out.

Dooley to Nail Hot Shots

Word from behind the scenes is that County Executive Dooley will try to amend the smoking ban with a square footage limit like the City's to exclude places like Hots Shots from the exemption. What has happened to County Executive Dooley? He used to be pro County business!

Gatton Spins Election at Council Meeting Tonight

I spoke at the County Council hearing tonight along with two bar owners. I reminded the councilmen that Keep St. Louis Free enthusiastically endorsed their Voodoo Lounge exemption (not a mom and pop bar, I said) and that other County establishments deserved the same chance at exemption. I also said the exemption list would likely shrink as bars had to offer proof they met exemption requirements. I suggested they look at the list 6 months from now.

Jane Suozzi, Charles Gatton, Pat Lindsey and another Prop N guy spoke saying that the bar exemptions need to go. Gatton even suggested that Prop N would have passed even more strongly without the exemptions. But the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services survey shows that County residents don't favor a complete ban on smoking in bars. I remember Tony Palazzolo cursed when he heard Barb Fraser had exempted bars from her ban. "Now it seems reasonable and it's going to pass!", he said.