It wasn’t too long ago that Philly was ahead of the curve in talking about a smoking ban. Today, the Daily News points out that with New Jersey’s smoking ban taking effect we are now an island surrounded by smoke-free territory (New York and Delaware have had bans in effect for some time).
Why have Mayor Street and the city council been dragging their feet on this? After all, fewer than 20% of voters smoke. The answer is surely that a much bigger percentage of campaign dollars come from restaurant owners. The last time a ban was making progress, there was talk of phasing it in over five or ten years so as not to offend any big restauranteurs in this political lifetime (this would also leave open plenty of time for repealing the ban).
What is the big deal here? Why is there no leadership on this no-brainer of an issue? In the past year I’ve visited smoke-free territory in Massachusetts, New York, Minneapolis, and the DC suburbs. It is incredibly refreshing to hang out at coffeeshops and restaurants without worrying about reeking of smoke for the rest of the day.
Unless things change radically very soon, it looks unlikely that I’ll have the same pleasant experience in this neighborhood before I move away with my girlfriend to smoke-free Chicago or Massachusetts.
Of course, this isn’t just about me not wanting to smell bad. It’s about safe workplaces. I have worked in plenty of restaurants (thankfully these were mostly smoke-free) and I understand the trap many workers are in. Many feel that they have no other option than to wait tables, tend bar, make espresso, or bus dishes. Asking for clean air (or health insurance, for that matter) is not an option for these workers.
STANDINGS:
TEAM---------------W-L--PCT-GB-Streak
Phila. Frustration-5-4-.556--0-Won 2
Phila. Phanatics---4-5-.444--1-Lost 2
