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Group to request smoking ban

PITTSBURG — The saying goes that nothing in the world is free. But if a Pittsburg group has its way, bars and restaurants would be free, of smoke that is. Cathy Newby, chairwoman of the Pittsburg Clean Air group, said the organization was currently in the middle of educating the public about the need for a smoking ban. That effort has gained steam in recent months, Newby said, with help from the Kansas Health Foundation, Pittsburg Area Young Professionals and other groups. “We have teamed up with multiple groups to educate people on the dangers of second-hand smoke,” Newby said. “If we can educate the public, we can gain more public support.”

Newby said the group was trying to drum up support for the organization’s ultimate purpose, to approach the Pittsburg City Commission with a Clean Air act, an ordinance that would ban smoking in bars and restaurants. “I grew up with three smokers in the house and had to be subjected to it,” Newby said. “I don’t smoke, period, and it would be nice when I take my family out in public if they didn’t have to deal with it.

“It would be nice when they are in their 20s if they could go out to a bar or restaurant and not have to think about it,” Newby said. “I remember my father talking about being 18 and being able to buy a beer. That seemed so strange to me, and I hope in the future smoking (in public) will seem the same way to our kids.” Last February, the same group approached commissioners about the issue, only to have commissioners table it until after the Kansas Legislature dealt with the issue. But legislators also put the smoking ban on the back burner, where Rep. Julie Menghini, D-Pittsburg, said it could stay again in the 2010 session. “I think there are certain legislators who would like to push for it again,” Menghini said. “But the budget will, once again, be all-consuming, and it’s an election year. That makes it harder for folks who have constituents who don’t like to have the government telling them what they can and can’t do. “I don’t see it being a big issue (in Topeka),” Menghini said. “I would be surprised if it became one.” The state has rejected smoking bans on three separate occasions.

The organization has no intention of waiting until a decision is rendered. Pittsburg Mayor Rudy Draper said he spoke with group members on Thursday and said that they wanted to bring the idea before commissioners in November, though no specific date has been set. “I think they are taking things in the right direction,” Draper said. “They are talking to the public, talking to businesses and basically putting all their ducks in a row, instead of trying to hurry it and doing it the wrong way.”

Draper said they were also putting together an ordinance, one which he said he hoped wasn’t too strict. “Personally, I think (a ban) is a good idea. But I don’t want to see it so strict that it really restricts people in their personal lives,” Draper said. “I don’t think they want that either. A public smoking ban, in bars and restaurants, would be a good idea, if the ordinance was set correctly. “I’m receptive toward it, but I want to hear the arguments from both sides,” Draper said. “Right now though, I would say that I would like to see it happen at some point.”