Is something better than nothing??

From the Chicago Tribune

Aldermen reach deal on smoking ban

By Gary Washburn
Tribune staff reporter
Published December 6, 2005, 2:27 PM CST

Aldermen reached a tentative agreement today on an ordinance that would make virtually all indoor public places smoke-free, but would give drinking establishments up to three years to comply with the law.

Final language of the accord was being fashioned this afternoon as some aldermen sought a two-year deadline for full compliance. The full City Council is expected to vote on the compromise measure Wednesday.

Ald. Patrick O'Connor (40th) said aldermen wanted to resolve the controversy "in a way that was amicable, and it was getting pretty ugly around here the last couple of weeks."

"Ultimately, people knew we had to do something, and that pointed it toward making some peace," O'Connor said.

Ald. Burton Natarus (42nd), who had sought an exemption for taverns and separate bars in restaurants, expressed satisfaction with today's accord and said restaurant industry representatives were on board.

Joel Africk, chief executive officer of the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago {ndash} an organization that had pushed for a smoking ban without exemptions {ndash} said he did not yet know if his group would support the compromise.

"It's tough for us to accept three years' more exposure to second-hand smoke," Africk said.

Today's developments in the City Council's Finance Committee followed a sometimes raucous session Monday involving three hours of discussion and debate on Natarus' measure, introduced as an alternative to a more stringent proposal by Ald. Ed Smith (28th).

Smith wanted to include all taverns and bars in the ban. He had the backing of the Lung Association, the American Cancer Society and Chefs and Owners United for Good Health (CHOKE), a coalition of more than 110 dining establishments.

Smith's backers said the ban was necessary to protect the health of consumers and restaurant workers.

Natarus was supported by such trade groups as the Illinois Restaurant Association and Illinois Licensed Beverage Association, which had argued a draconian smoking ban would harm small mom-and-pop restaurants and bars. Mayor Richard Daley has hinted he favors the Natarus proposal.