Mayor White wants counties to pass smoking bans, too
Kristen Mack's Friday column about Mayor White's agenda for the next state legislative session included this:
The city also is likely to push for expanding counties' powers to regulate smoking in public places.
White has said Houston's smoking ban, which will expand to bars in September, will be more effective if counties also enact such measures.
This also would keep city establishments from losing business to smoking-permitted venues just outside city limits.
Is Mayor White worried about Houston establishments losing business due to the smoking ban? I don't recall that being a part of the debate, from his end!
Now Houston's mayor wants to influence counties to pass smoking bans as well, so as to limit any business losses Houston establishments might incur. But in a 2005 Chronicle story on the first, less-restrictive smoking ban Council passed, Mayor White said:
"Today council acted decisively to make more of Houston smoke-free," White said after the 9-4 vote. "This is Texas, where we do balance freedoms."
It seems to me there's a balance when surrounding counties allow smoking, as opposed to Houston which doesn't. Houston-area residents and visitors get to exercise their freedom to choose which restaurant or bar they'll patronize.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 12/17/06 04:52 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Sphere | Comments (1)
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