The Forum

The article below appeared in this week's edition of MKE Magazine. The article mentions the Shorewood smoking ban, and gives a good general update on the smoking ban wars throughout the State of WI.

------------------------------------

Behind the smokescreen

What a smoke-free Milwauke could look like
By Tim Cigelske
MKE Magazine, March 1, 2007

Smoke-filled bars are a Milwaukee way of life.

We're used to our clothes reeking after a night out. We barely notice our stinging eyes while chatting with a friend over a beer. We might light up with a drink, even if we don't normally smoke.

But it seems inevitable that sooner or later, Milwaukee bars are destined to go smoke-free, like more and more places these days. Locally, Wauwatosa is getting used to an 8-month-old smoking ban, and the Shorewood Village Board on Monday passed a ban on smoking in all public places, including taverns and restaurants. (It takes effect in 2009.) Gov. Jim Doyle has announced his support for making public buildings in Wisconsin smoke-free.

Look no further than Ardor Pub & Grill in downtown Milwaukee for a possible glimpse into this future. The old-school tavern is as classic Milwaukee as it gets, with one notable exception: There's no ashtray, cigarette butt or hint of smoke anywhere in the place.

Owner Eli Rivera reclaimed the smoke-free environment from a restaurant that had long allowed smoking. The contrast was astounding.

"I thought the walls were supposed to be cream-colored," Rivera remembers about how he found the building four years ago. "Then I looked under the pictures, and it was white."

Over one-and-a-half months, Rivera worked to restore the building to its pre-smoke-tainted condition. On the previous pages, we virtually re-created the bar's old atmosphere (page 6) alongside a snapshot of its revitalized incarnation (page 7).

It just might be the model of Milwaukee's future nightlife.

The smoking ban: where it stands

Like an ambitious but wayward New Year's resolution, a proposed state smoking ban came strong out of the gate but has lost some steam.

In January, Gov. Jim Doyle took a stand in support of a ban on smoking in public buildings, as well as instituting a $1.25-per pack increase in the cigarette tax. Then in late February, Doyle said he would accept "95 percent" of what he was asking for, including some exemptions.

But when it goes to a vote is anyone's guess.

"We think we should move quicker, but we don't control that process," said Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of Smoke Free Wisconsin. "Every day we don't do it, we're still subjecting people to secondhand smoke."

Milwaukee considered its own smoking ban in 2005 that would have been one of the nation's toughest by outlawing lighting up in nearly all workplaces, restaurants, bars and other public buildings. The measure encountered opposition and died in committee.

Ald. Robert Donovan, an outspoken opponent of that measure, is holding a rally against a proposed statewide ban at noon Saturday, March 3, at Serb Hall, 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave.

Donovan said he represents small diners and taverns that he believes would lose business under a smoking ban.

"I just feel that the government has stepped a little too far on this one," said Donovan, who is a smoker. "I view it more as a business decision. I feel there are far more important issues the government needs to address."

Nearly two-thirds of Wisconsin voters support a statewide smoking ban, according to a poll released by Smoke Free Wisconsin. Among smokers, 64 percent oppose the ban, while about a third support it.

"It's going to be a battle," Busalacchi said of potential legislation. "Just because it always is."
-----------------------------------