Indiana

Put the Smoking Gun Back in the Holster

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

My friends at the Indy Star are reporting what I’ve been hearing for about a week now, the proposed expansion of the smoking ban is likely going back to committee.   You can hear my heart breaking.  Supporters hope to bring it back another day, but I doubt it will come back because the votes aren’t there.  Hopefully, this fight is over and I hope there are some lessons to be learned from all sides.

Council Republicans

• This whole thing should have never seen the light of day in the first place.  All this did was divide the GOP over an issue that wasn’t a problem.  My advice, go away for a weekend, kiss, make up and plan a real agenda for the city for 2010.

Council Democrats

• It’s one thing to push a plan because you believe it’s the right thing to do.  It’s another thing to push something for the simple reason that you want to embarrass the incumbent Mayor.  If you’re going to do that try doing it over an issue where 80-percent of the public doesn’t agree with him.

Mayor Greg Ballard

• Once again, this entire ordeal could have been avoided in the first place had there been better communication with the Council.  I’d join them on their weekend excursion.  And as far as political ramifications go, anybody who says they won’t vote for you because of your threatened veto of the current smoking ban, probably wasn’t going to vote for you anyway.  So you really haven’t lost anything.

Anti-Smoking Ban Advocates

• Nice job of being organized, especially when it comes to bar owners, who by their very nature have trouble working well with others.  You guys held together and have done something no other major city has ever been able to do, you beat back the anti-smoking zealots who wanted to impose their will on everyone else.

Smoke Free Indy

• I’d like to say I feel sorry for you, but I don’t.   You majorly underestimated the mood of the public, which is odd because your own survey showed 80-percent of Marion County residents like the current compromise.   Of course the problem with zealots is that they tend to hang out with each other and their world view is clouded.    My advice is maybe work with bar owners on getting people to quit smoking, rather than ban smoking in bars.  My second piece of advice is hire an attorney, because you guys are being looked at by Marion County Grand Jury investigators to see if you used public money for political purposes.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on November 30, 2009 (boomark / email).