PROPOSED SMOKING REGULATION HEARING+COMMENTS PROPOSED SMOKING REGULATION HEARING
November 9, 1999
SUMMARY OF SPEAKERS' COMMENTS
Glenn Williams
262 Beaver St.
Resents second hand smoke; wants to live in an environment where he is not
exposed. Salem is a world class tourist town; tourists appalled by second hand
smoke. Supports passage.
George Harrington
Lyceum Bar & Grill
Proposal is discriminatory; drinking & eating in bars is ok, but smoking is not.
Why should he be punished for serving food in bar area? Do we really want
drinking patrons to be served only incidental food?
William Burke
Salem resident & Beverly Health Agent
Beverly BOH shares a common goal with the Salem BOH. This reg would 'level
the playing field." If Salem moves ahead it will make it easier for Beverly.
Beverly bars will be exempt if they serve only incidental food. The date for
compliance in Beverly is September 1, 2000.
Rayza Delacruz
30 Ward St.
15 year old with asthma. Uncomfortable with smokers. She presented 170
signatures from the Point neighborhood in favor of the smoking regs.
Jennifer Reardon
In a Pig's Eye
Reg would impose a financial hardship for her, employees, their families. Her
establishment has only 1200 sq. ft. Any barrier would disrupt integrity of
building. She had fire concerns. Should look at each establishment and allow
variances. Currently using smoke eaters.
Charles Bergeron
14 Summer St
Senior nursing student at SSC. Cigarettes have 1000 chemicals in them. Does
not want to be subjected to smoke. There are many lung cancer deaths in
Salem.
Pollyanne Tierney
Orne Square
Reformed Smoker. Constructing walls will destroy ambiance. Smoke eaters are
working at In a Pig's Eye. Smaller restaurants are not like the 99, or mall
restaurants.
Michael Allen
15 Pope Street
Red Lion Smoke Shop
There are non- tobacco cigarettes. Someone should be free to choose whether
to go to a smoking or non- smoking restaurant. Board is trying to circumvent
owner's rights. A bookstore or a candle store can have smoking. FDA's
jurisdiction is being challenged
Stacey Fraser
Grapevine Restaurant
Bar has a full menu. In the Grapevine you must enter through the bar to get to
the dining area which is 12-18 feet from the last bar stool. Therefore, the bar
can not be separated. There should be other options, like smoke eaters. Every
case should not be mandated by the Board, it should evaluate each restaurant.
Owen Meegan
65 Dearborn Street
Former Chairman BOH
No proof that second hand smoke causes illness. There are already some
restaurants that are non smoking, some allow smoking. He is a pipe smoker.
The proposed regulation is grossly overreaching.
Oliver Kempton
14 Daniels St.
Resident more than 20 years. He was restaurant and bar owner, forced to leave
the business because of smoke. Non-smoker. In favor of the regulation. Spoke
with Brookline & Stockbridge whose restaurant business has increased since
they passed no smoking regulation.
Joel Ortiz
67 Palmer St.
9 year resident. Member of the center for Addictive Behavior's Smokeless Peer
Leaders. 53,000 people die each year because of smoking.
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David Murtaugh
31 Front St., Beverly
Salem Beerworks
He has had zero complaints regarding smoking. North Shore has a lot of choices
for non- smoking. Individual restaurants should be looked at. He has 150.feet
between smoking & non- smoking sections. There will be a 40% drop off in
customers if there is smoking ban.
Diana Russo
Roosevelt's
The regs would take choices away from owners. 10% of the population smokes.
It would cost a great deal to comply so that there is a separate area.
Dorothy Flaherty
North Shore Tobacco Control Program
Implemented similar regs in Tewksbury where there was an increase in the
number of food permits issued after enactment of the reg. If Salem passes the
reg, it will "level the playing field' regarding smoking and regs in other
communities. In a random mail survey of 2500 households, with a response rate
of greater than 50%, 68% of the respondents supported smoke free dining.
Tom Furey
Salem City Councilor
Parent, father, grandfather
Applauded BOH efforts to set reasonable standards. Benefactors will be the
young people.
Tom Dever
20 Central Plaza
President & CEO of engineering company. If volume suffers, workers will suffer.
Tax payers pay for bankruptcy. People should be free to choose.
Bill Kelly
6 Sutton Ave.
Lobster Shanty
Reg would be devastating for his business. Establishment is only 700 sq. ft.
Regular clientele are smokers.
Robert Blenkhorn
Former Health Agent
Triple repeat...1980, lenient...1990, lenient, ...2000, lenient. .make smoking
history. Sorry he is not hearing this. Salem is first in everything. Make an area
for smokers. BOH obligation is to go smoke free.
Scott Edmiston
3rd year law student at Northeastern
ASHRE standards had minimum air exchange number for smoking areas. Now
there is no requirement because there is no safe exposure.
Edward Sweda
172 Boston St
Attorney with Tobacco Control Research Center.
Some people barred from restaurants because of smoke sensitivity. Smokers
are not precluded from smoke- free restaurants. Go forward with the reg.
Heidi Milman
109 Derby St
Smoker, opposed to reg. Should have choice.
Bob Merman
22 Ambrois Rd., Beverly
Former smoker, lost voice because of smoking. Lung cancer, which was not
known before there was smoking, is more prevalent than breast cancer.
Kate Hammond
26 Congress St.
Grapevine
Every restaurant should be looked at on an individual basis.
Peter Noyes
Rockmore Dry Dock
Dining rooms are non-smoking. Bar from 10 PM to 2AM has smokers and
drinkers. Allow variances, consider economic situation.
Ellen DiGeronimo
Executive Director, Salem Chamber of Commerce
This is beginning of process. Consider a level playing field. Move with caution.
This is a busy time of year. Allow for information and for the Chamber to meet
with businesses. Give opportunity to work with the Chamber and to express
uniqueness.
Spiro Kounsaliek
Witch's Brew
Small profit margin, ban might put him under
Nancy Cauldon
25 Ord St
Waitress at the 99
Ban everything for the health of the people...such as charcoal grilled steak.
Restaurants have spent lots of money to accommodate non- smokers.
Government is too restrictive. Many women are waitresses, we will cut income.
Against reg...what about alcohol?
Lucien Labonte
242 Lafayette St.
2"d hand smoke kills people. His mother never smoked but worked in a bingo
hall for 20 years. She died of lung cancer. Don't put profits before health.
Michael Cahill
State Representative from Beverly.
The reg would create a relatively consistent playing field with Beverly. This is an
important public health matter. BOH should be aggressive...breathe smoke free
air.
Jane Ross
8 Orient Way
Attending with many SHS students. Board should be ultimately concerned with
health.
Marc Boutin
MAHB attorney
There is no legal distinction between non- tobacco cigarettes, beanies, and
cigarettes. BOH has authority to regulate "public health," if individual behavior
impacts public at large. Second hand smoke has been shown to have an effect
of public health. The EPA has ruled that second hand smoke is a class A
carcinogen and that there is no safe exposure to it. This issue is on appeal in
North Carolina, but all other courts have ruled in favor of the FDA. FDA has
promulgated youth access regulations which are being appealed to the Supreme
Court. The Journal of the American Medical Association has looked at studies
investigating second hand smoke. 85% of those studies have concluded that
second hand smoke is harmful. They looked at the remaining 15% and
discovered that 74% of those 15% were funded by the tobacco industry.
Compiled by J.Scott