Traverse City Record-Eagle

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  • Jan-Michael Stump

    SMOKING LAW
December 10, 2009

Local reaction to ban mixed

and SHERI McWHIRTER

TRAVERSE CITY -- The way Scott Haselton sees it, a smoking ban in restaurants and bars won't be the end of the world.

"They should just ban it altogether, then I'll quit," Haselton, 39, said Thursday as he puffed a cigarette in Dillinger's Pub in downtown Traverse City, shortly after state legislators voted to snuff smoking in most public places in Michigan.

The ban would take effect in May 2010. It applies to all bars, restaurants and workplaces except for the Detroit casinos, cigar bars, tobacco specialty stores, home offices and motor vehicles.

Haselton quit before, but started up again. His brother, Andrew Haselton, 40, kicked the habit for good.

"I used to smoke, 20-some years ago, but I can't stand it now," he said.

Anti-smoking advocates' huge victory on Thursday pleased many northern Michigan residents and angered others. Everyone seemed to have an opinion.

"I think it's great because I think smoking should be outside, if at all," said Traverse City resident Nancy Brown. "It shouldn't be in public places because secondhand smoke hurts people."

But Megan McAllister, also of Traverse City, had a mixed view.

"I think there are good things about it because a lot of kids go into those places and secondhand smoke is dangerous," McAllister said. "But I see both sides because this is a free country. That's why they have different sections in restaurants."

Numerous area restaurants switched to smoke-free status over the past year, but Thursday's vote stung those who continued to allow smoking.

"I think that's the most asinine thing," said Kathy Greilick, a manager at Union Street Station in Traverse City. "It's going to kill my business."

"My opinion is it's the restaurant owner's choice if they want to allow smoking or not," said Jeffrey Saco, manager at Whitetails Steak N Ale restaurant and bar in Kalkaska.

Saco expects some of his customers will be angry with lawmakers' decision.

"We've had this debate at the bar and even non-smokers agreed that it's their own personal choice if somebody wants to smoke or not. Restaurant owners should decide," said Saco who believes the ban will hurt business.

"Some smokers won't go out to drink. They'll just go home, or they won't go out as often," he said.

Mackinaw Brewing Company in Traverse City went smoke-free early last year and hasn't witnessed any ill-effects, said manager Kathleen Stanley.

"Business has not been affected at all," Stanley said. "If anything, it's better."

The restaurant's bar area, which used to be the smoking section, is much more crowded than before, she said.

Northern Michigan lawmakers were divided on the smoking ban. In the Senate, Sen. Jason Allen, R-Traverse City, voted against the ban while Sen. Michelle McManus, R-Lake Leelanau, voted in favor. In the state House Rep. Kevin Elsenheimer, R-Kewadin, joined Rep. Wayne Schmidt, R-Traverse City, in voting against the ban. Rep. Dan Scripps, D-Leland, voted yes.

Lisa Danto, coordinator of the Traverse Bay Area Tobacco Coalition, fairly rejoiced at the news.

"I'm very excited. That's huge progress," she said. "Not only is it good for employees, it's good for tourists because a lot of people come from outside the area. That's what tourists want. The majority don't want to be around smoke."

Mike Nolan, owner of Nolan's Tobacconists in downtown Traverse City, called the conditional smoking ban an "unfortunate victory."

He'd like business owners to decide whether to allow smoking in their operations. But tobacco stores got behind a compromise measure that exempts smoke shops and a handful of other operations, fearing a statewide ballot issue next year would include no exceptions.

"We came out in favor of a compromise -- we felt we had to," said Nolan, president of the Michigan Cigar Association, an organization that represents more than 30 tobacco stores around the state. "It's a victory for us in that we can stay in business."

Nolan said a growing number of smoke-free restaurants in the Grand Traverse region and around the state showed consumers were driving the no-smoking issue.

"It's unfortunate the free market wasn't able to work through it, which I think was happening," Nolan said. "Personally, I prefer to eat in a non-smoking restaurant ... I think it's unfortunate that I no longer have the choice."

Karla Jamieson smoked with a friend at Dillinger's, burning over the impending new law.

"I feel like they're being discriminatory," she said. "We don't ever get a say in the matter; they don't ever talk to us."

Staff writer Marta Hepler Drahos and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

When the smoke clears

How local lawmakers voted on the smoking ban:

Sen. Jason Allen, R-Traverse City: No

Sen. Michelle McManus, R-Lake Leelanau: Yes

Rep. Kevin Elsenheimer, R-Kewadin: No

Rep. Wayne Schmidt, R-Traverse City: No

Rep. Dan Scripps, D-Leland: Yes

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