Suburb smoking ban gains;
Cook County plan affects 115 towns

Chicago Tribune

March 14, 2006

By Josh Noel

A smoking ban affecting more than 115 suburbs moved toward reality Monday as a committee of Cook County commissioners endorsed without opposition the end of puffing away in places such as restaurants, bars, casinos and bowling alleys.

"This has been a long time in coming," Diana Hackbarth, chairwoman of the Illinois Coalition Against Tobacco, said after the meeting. "Public opinion about smoking has changed. The time has really come to do the right thing on protecting public health."

But the fresh air some people will savor smells to others like a face full of secondhand smoke, even though each suburb will be able to opt out of the law by passing its own ordinance.

"It's always delightful when the county substitutes their judgment for the judgment of local officials--and I'm saying that as sarcastically as I can," Cicero town spokesman Dan Proft said. "It's disconcerting when County Board members have nothing better to do than politically grandstand and usurp local authority when they can't even keep criminals behind bars and run a county hospital system."

In a unanimous voice vote, the Cook County Board's Health and Hospitals Committee endorsed the sweeping ban that would take root in all of the county except about 15 cities, towns and villages that already have enacted smoking restrictions, including Chicago, Elgin and Arlington Heights.

About 1.7 million of the county's 5.3 million residents, in communities such as Berwyn, Lincolnwood and Cicero, would be forbidden from smoking within 15 feet of dozens of public places--from bingo parlors to shopping malls.

Unincorporated parts of Cook County would be required to implement the ban, but municipalities could opt out by passing their own ordinance. Proft said Cicero officials would examine their options, but they have never enacted a smoking ban for a simple reason: They don't want one.

"The belief in the Town of Cicero is that business operators have the right to run their businesses in the bounds of the law as they see fit," he said. "No one is forced to go into a particular bar or restaurant that allows smoking."

The ordinance will go to the full Board of County Commissioners for a vote Wednesday. With no opposition on Monday from commissioners or business owners, Commissioner Mike Quigley (D), the lead sponsor of the ordinance, said passage is all but assured. Unlike Chicago's ban, which gives bars two years to comply, the county ban would become law in 60 days.

Quigley said his only regret is that some towns will be able to wriggle out of the ban, which he expects a few to do.

"Those who want to, unfortunately under state law, I can't stop them," Quigley said. "I think it's better policy if it's uniform. If the state's not going to do it, they should give the county the ability to."

Several health advocates had asked to address the committee, but because of the apparent lack of opposition to the ordinance, weren't allowed to speak until after the vote. Most wound up thanking the members.

The lack of opposition says that public smoking bans are becoming a mainstream idea, advocates said.

"It's not as controversial as it once was because the data is irrefutable," Hackbarth said. "Here in Illinois, people understand this is the trend of the future."

The committee also endorsed a similar ordinance Monday that prohibits smoking in county-owned facilities or vehicles. That ban will also be up for a vote on Wednesday.

Copyright 2006, Chicago Tribune Company

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