Politicians Benefit By Supporting Smokefree Workplace Laws

Polls show that 70% to 80% of voters support smokefree workplace laws.  It seems obvious that politicians who support such laws would benefit, but if you ever had any doubt, read the following column from Toledo (Ohio).

Parts excerpted from the Toledo Blade, 11/9/03, smokefree.net

Public acceptance of Toledo’s smokefree workplace law took a giant step forward last Tuesday when City Council members Michael Ashford, Ellen Grachek, Wade Kapszukiewicz, Karyn McConnell, and Frank Szollosi were re-elected.

All five won easily despite having bull’s-eyes on their backs, compliments of the Northwest Ohio Licensed Beverage Association (Philip Morris owns a large stake in Miller Beer).

They were targeted -- in media advertising and in flyers handed to voters outside polling places -- because they never wavered in their support of Toledo's smokefree workplace law, which went into effect on Aug. 24. They never lost sight of the big picture, even though the easy thing to do would have been to grant exemptions to bars, bingo halls, and bowling alleys.

If this election was an unofficial referendum on the smokefree workplace law, as was the perception, then voters sent a clear message.

We might look back at this election as the most significant of the decade. No doubt all five emerged from the campaign with thicker skin. Perhaps this will give them the confidence to tackle other tough issues.

Potentially, the election’s significance may not be fully measured for decades to come. Ms. Grachek is 26, while Mr. Kapszukiewicz, Ms. McConnell, and Mr. Szollosi are each 31. Mr. Ashford is 48. One would think they will have a bond for the rest of their political lives.

Ms. Grachek risked her political future -- at least the short-term future -- on this issue. To her credit, she never blinked ... even when subjected to personal attacks by opponents of the ban.

"It went beyond a spirited debate," she said. "It got nasty."

Not that anyone is surprised the foes resorted to such tactics. They’ve been kicking and screaming for months, refusing to acknowledge that society has evolved. (Which reminds me, the evolution involves more than just smoking. Lest bar owners forget that Ohio recently lowered the drunken-driving threshold, from a blood-alcohol content of 0.10 percent to 0.08. Surely that would be a contributing factor in any loss of revenue.)

I suspect Tuesday’s election was the toughest remaining hurdle en route to building a public consensus for the smoking ban in Toledo. If the five "targeted" council candidates were swept out of office, momentum for overturning the smokefree workplace law could have snowballed. As it is, though, the vocal minority has been effectively squelched.

A suggestion for those still in denial: Spend your time trying to convince suburban communities to adopt a similar law, thereby leveling the playing field, rather than waiting for Toledo to grant exemptions.

For once, Toledo is ahead of the curve.