On Friday, KTRH-740 talker Chris Baker spent quite a bit of time on Council’s proposed revisions to the smoking ordinance.
Baker interviewed Councilmember Peter Brown on the topic, and one part of the interview (still available via KTRH’s podcasts) was particularly interesting:
BAKER: Would you like to have this ordinance affect cigar bars and tobacco bars?
BROWN: Well, I concur that the bars… the cigar bars, tobacco bars, and tobacco shops, and there are other kinds of uhh specialist uhh ethnic bars where smoking is part of the culture — those would be exempted. I support that.
BAKER: Would you want to close down a cigar bar?
BROWN: I’m going to support the retention of existing cigar bars. And that’s the way the ordinance is written.
BAKER: So if a business owner wants to open a cigar bar in the future, would you stand in the way of that?
BROWN: Well, I’m only one in 15 votes, but I think that we could make some exceptions for that sort of thing, although that’s not in the ordinance right now. That would have to be an amendment to the draft ordinance that’s on the table.
BROWN: So do you want to just ban smoking in houston altogether?
BAKER: That’s generally the direction we’re headed….
So, if you are a current owner of a cigar bar in Houston, the City of Houston is about to ensure a great return on your investment by protecting your existing business from new competition. That’s an even sweeter deal than Yellow Cab typically extracts from Council and the Airport Director!
Councilmember Brown’s reference to “ethnic bars where smoking is part of the culture” is just bizarre. How in the world will that work? For example, how would the cultural “exemption” not include American culture, which gave us the Marlboro Man after all?
Council takes up the topic this week.
BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC.
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