Wednesday, Sep. 02, 2009

Richland kills plan to ease ban on smoking

Council decides against allowing split-air systems

Public health advocates turned back an attempt to make an exception to Richland County’s smoking ban Tuesday.

“Smoke-free’s the new norm,” Ian Hamilton, with the S.C. Cancer Alliance, said later.

The Richland County Council undermined Councilman Jim Manning’s effort to protect a bingo parlor in his district that invested $300,000 in separate heating and air systems and divided the business in two before the county went smoke-free last year.

Manning argued the business, Carolina Gold Bingo, couldn’t compete with nearby bingo halls where smoking is allowed.

“If there would have been a state law, me and the businessman on Decker Boulevard would’ve been happy,” Manning said. “It’s an unlevel playing field.”

Members of the March of Dimes, the Lung Association and American Cancer Society, among others, filled council chambers to object to the change.

Hamilton said he was aware of no successful effort to weaken a smoking ban since the first S.C. local government passed a workplace ban in May 2006.

“I’m just thrilled. This is a real victory for workers,” said Dan Carrigan with the Smokefree Action Network.

A unanimous council had supported Manning’s amendment at two previous meetings before the advocacy groups became aware of it.

But on the eve of Tuesday’s meeting, a couple of council members said they hadn’t paid close attention and were concerned the revision would be used by other businesses to skirt the intent of the law.

The meeting was supposed to include a public hearing on a change to the law. But shortly after the session began, Councilwoman Joyce Dickerson used a procedural tactic to kill the measure outright — without the hearing.

Manning’s amendment was rejected on a voice vote.

Some in the audience complained afterward that they wanted to know how individual members voted but couldn’t tell.

Manning urged leaders of some of the no-smoking groups to work on smoking bans for nearby cities that don’t have them.

“That’s what I hope we can work hard together on now,” Manning told them.

Lexington County Council approved a smoking ban for unincorporated areas just last week, but most towns and cities haven’t addressed the issue.

Reach Hinshaw at (803) 771-8641.

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