A public hearing on the bill is currently scheduled for October 23, 2018 at 1:30 PM. The Council will also have to sit as the Board of Health, and pass an accompanying regulation as that board, to legally enact the smoking ban.
The legislation is very similar to that passed by the Rockville Mayor & Council last year. Adam Zimmerman, an activist who spearheaded the Rockville effort, is also advocating for the County to pass Bill 35-18. He says the ban will improve health, while increasing business at venues non-smokers currently avoid.
Rockville's ban was opposed by some restaurant owners, such as Danny Trahan of Mellow Mushroom. Trahan closed his restaurant permanently last month - though the smoking ban wasn't the primary reason. He viewed the ban as the last straw in Montgomery County's costly and unwelcoming business climate. It will be interesting to see what restaurateurs have to say about the proposed County ban.
Residents who testified before the Mayor & Council last shared Zimmerman's view that business would improve, citing their reluctance to dine at two Rockville Town Square restaurants that allowed outdoor smoking before the ban. Because many restaurants now open their doors and windows, patrons have also complained that smoke now drifts inside from patios.
8 comments:
Long overdue
Government overreach. The free market can solve this problem without regulation. If patrons are so turned off by smokers outside, they will take their business elsewhere and the restaurant will adjust their policies to encourage them to come back.
How about the Council spend time on more important issues, like the budget?
Looking forward to this.
I'm with 6:53AM, Government overreach.
Nah. Good job council, keep it up.
Mr. Dyer, what is your position on this bill? How would you vote if you were on the Council now?
"Rockville's ban was opposed by some restaurant owners, such as Danny Trahan of Mellow Mushroom. Trahan closed his restaurant permanently last month - though the smoking ban wasn't the primary reason. He viewed the ban as the last straw in Montgomery County's costly and unwelcoming business climate."
Several Mellow Mushroom locations closed just in the past week, in Palm Beach, and Lexington Kentucky. Several dozen have closed nationwide in the past few months.
From the comments on the Rockville blog about the closure of Mellow Mushroom:
Anonymous September 26, 2018 at 8:27 AM
"POOR service = closure; this guy has no clue on how to run a proper restaurant"
Anonymous October 3, 2018 at 1:53 PM
"Exactly."
Steve Kelley September 26, 2018 at 10:19 AM
"Yup. Absolutely horrible service closed this place."
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