Boise looks at a smoking law, residents react

A packed house at Boise City Hall Tuesday evening as people for and against a smoking ban in bars, parks and other public areas raise their voices.

Public Information Officer for the Boise Mayor’s office Adam Park says the public comment ended a little after 7:30PM Tuesday night.

It was a mixed bag inside the council chambers as some said the Boise city council should not be allowed to take away the rights of smokers. Others said the issue was clearly a public health concern.

Ashlie Meyer works at China Blue, a local bar and is pregnant.

“It’s not a choice when people are smoking around you and somebody doesn’t smoke. It’s like you don’t have a choice when you are behind a bar or behind a desk you have to sit there and you just have to do your job,” says Ashlie Meyer who works at China Blue, a local bar and is pregnant.

Years ago China Blue made the decision to go smoke free.

“There are a lot of people you don’t see besides the customers, beer reps that have to walk into ten or twenty bars at day. Liquor reps that walk into bars, delivery people insurance people, just people that do business with bars,” said Owner of China Blue Ted Challenger.

It was clear at the meeting though, not all bar owners share that same sediment; Gary Sullivan owns a smoking establishment in Boise and gathered petition signatures to back his side.

“There is all kind of smoking bars and all kinds of smoke free bars. We all have the right to choose and that is what this country is about,” said Sullivan.

The proposed smoking ban would prevent smokers from lighting up in bars, city parks and staying 20 feet away from city owned buildings.

The next step in this process will continue next week. Councilors will review the issue again for a “1st reading.” If the council decides to adopt the proposed smoking ordinance it would take effect January of 2012.