Lansing - Tom Bramson worries that a proposed smoking ban in Ingham County could lead to a ban that would empty his business, the Nuthouse Sports Grill , by about half.
Ingham County’s Environmental Tobacco Smoke Task Force Committee approved a resolution this week that would ban smoking in all public and private work sites. The resolution will be discussed by the county’s Board of Commissioners Feb. 4.
Although the resolution does not include bars and restaurants, Bramson worries that a November 2000 proposal to ban smoking in all public places in Ingham County could become a reality. Smoking issues with restaurants and bars will be discussed in April.
“It’s hard enough to be independent as it is,” said Bramson, who owns the grill, located at 420 E. Michigan Ave. “If we banned smoking, we’d be chasing smokers out of the mix into different counties.
“The issue has to do with government intervention. I’m not for smoking, but I don’t want the government coming in here and telling me what I can and can’t do in my business. It should be my choice.”
Pat Hepp, chairwoman of the Ingham County Board of Health, said the main reason for the resolution is to make a difference in the health of citizens.
“There’s been overwhelming evidence that second-hand smoke is a serious carcinogen and because of that, it is a major health risk,” Hepp said.
Ingham County Commissioner Lisa Dedden, a task force member, said the resolution was separated because of the controversy surrounding the restaurant and bar issue. She said the resolution, which doesn’t include bars and restaurants, will likely pass Feb. 4.
“These are two different issues, and I don’t support the proposal to ban smoking in restaurants and bars,” Dedden said. “If you walk into a restaurant or bar and it’s too smoky, you can just leave. You can’t do that at work.
“We were looking to balance the interests of the public. We took into consideration what the appropriate role of government is and what people can and can’t do with the choices in their lives.
“A lot of the restaurant managers and owners say the government shouldn’t be meddling in people’s choices. Local businesses say they’d be hurt by this because people will go somewhere out of Ingham County to eat.”
Ingham County Commissioner Mark Grebner, a task force member, said each restaurant is required to have a certain percentage of smoking and nonsmoking seats. His proposal, which will be reviewed in April, changes the percentage of seats and creates new rules.
“Instead of saying you can’t smoke at all, the county would adopt a new permit procedure,” he said. “We wouldn’t tell them how to do it, but it would be required by the health department.”
