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Most candidates Most candidates for the Honolulu City Council seat vacated by Andy Mirikitani favor a restriction on smoking in restaurants.
for Council favor
restriction on
restaurant smoking
The special election for the vacant
seat will be held Jan. 26By Gordon Y.K. Pang
They cited a litany of reasons at a forum held yesterday at Magoo's Pizza restaurant in Puck's Alley organized by one candidate, former Councilman Kekoa Kaapu.
Mirikitani's successor in the 5th District likely will play a key role when the smoking issue heats up again next year. Previous attempts to restrict restaurant smoking have failed by narrow margins, including last month's 5-4 vote with Mirikitani voting with the majority to reject an all-restaurant ban. A current bill would allow smoking only in outdoor dining facilities.
Restaurants in mainland cities that have enacted similar legislation have not suffered, said John Anderson, an elementary school counselor. "We have to look out for the health of the workers and not only concentrate on what happens to the visitor industry."
Albert Furuto, a stuntman, said a ban not only would aid restaurant employees and patrons exposed to secondhand smoke, but could also spur smokers to quit the habit. He said, however, that he would favor creating separate legislation allowing restaurants to be all-smoking if owners chose the option.
Nasir Gazdar, a geography and environmental university professor, favors a total restaurant smoking ban. He said cigarette smoke pollutes the air while the butts pollute waterways.
Richard Soo said he also favors stricter restaurant smoking laws, noting that as a captain in the Honolulu Fire Department, he has seen too many restaurant fire calls that were caused by discarded cigarette butts.
Sam Aiona, a former state representative, said he would vote for such an ordinance because most constituents he has spoken with want stricter smoking legislation.
Ann Kobayashi, a former state senator, said she favors a ban on all restaurants but is opposed to the bill before the Council because allowing smoking at those restaurants with outdoor facilities would be unfair to those without such areas.
Kaapu and Richard Gee, an artist and tree trimmer, said they support the current Council bill.
Retired government analyst Harris Murabayashi was the one candidate firmly opposed to a restaurant smoking ban. "To me, if a restaurant owner wants to allow smoking, he should be allowed to," he said.
Ron Lockwood, a special-education instructor, was ambivalent about enacting new smoking prohibitions. "Putting in a ban at this time would be detrimental to the restaurant and hotel owners," he said. But the final decision, he said, would be based on what his constituents say.
Four candidates for the seat did not attend yesterday's forum: businessman Danny Auyoung, attorney and former Judge Richard Lee, attorney Joe Kinoshita and longtime Makiki Neighborhood Board Chairman John Steelquist.
Auyoung said he would vote against a restaurant smoking ban because he is for less government intervention in business.
Steelquist said he supports a ban but would favor a separate bill allowing restaurants to apply for exceptions. Kinoshita said he will support a smoking ban unless he is convinced otherwise. Lee could not be reached for comment.
The election will be held Jan. 26. The 5th Council seat includes Manoa, Makiki, McCully-Moiliili and Ala Moana.
The McCully-Moliili Neighborhood Board will hold its own candidates forum, open to the public, at 7 p.m. on Jan. 3 at Lunalilo School cafeteria.