Officials say Alsip won't have smoking ban

January 31, 2007
By Bob Rakow Correspondent

After watching bar and restaurant owners react with outrage in neighboring towns, Alsip officials said they don't plan to ban public smoking in their village.

Instead, trustees said Monday they likely will approve a smoking ordinance that forbids lighting up only at village facilities.

Brief smoking bans in Orland Park, Tinley Park and Oak Forest were too hard on businesses, trustees agreed. Alsip business owners have told trustees they oppose a ban that affects bars and restaurants, they said.

"We're going to let them govern their own (establishments) like they're doing right now," Trustee Tom Collins said. "We don't want (businesses) to go belly up and lose their business. I'm not for smoking at a restaurant, but if they want to a have a (smokers') section, be my guest."

Trustees were in agreement they should adopt a less strict ordinance.

"We don't win by (adopting) an ordinance to prohibit smoking," Trustee James Quinn said.

Alsip will have to adopt some type of smoking ordinance by March 15, otherwise the village will be governed by a Cook County smoking ban that does restrict nearly all public smoking.

"I feel we need to get moving on this. We certainly don't want to fall under the county ordinance," said Mayor Patrick Kitching.

Kitching said he would support a smoking ban at village hall as long as some accommodation is made for smokers.

Smoking bans that took effect Jan. 2 in Oak Forest, Orland Park and Tinley Park generated such outcry from business owners that officials in those towns rolled back the effective date of their ordinances. All three are expected to amend the bans to allow for some public smoking before bans take effect again.

Restaurant and bar owners in those communities complained that their customers stayed away in droves during the two-week ban. Instead, they patronized businesses in neighboring communities without smoking bans, they said.
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