Changes urged City Councilwoman Rene Mansho wants to soften the impacts of a bill banning smoking in restaurants as it heads for a final vote, and expected passage, tomorrow.
for smoking ban
Rene Mansho wants legislation to allow
smoking in indoor bars after 10 p.m.By Gordon Y.K. Pang
gpang@starbulletin.comMansho could not be reached for comment yesterday. But according to her Council colleagues and others involved in the long-running smoking debate, she wants the bill changed to allow smoking in indoor bars of restaurants after 10 p.m. and relax restrictions pertaining to outdoor smoking.
Mansho, the only cigarette smoker on the Council, has consistently voted against restaurant smoking enforcement on grounds that it would hurt businesses.
The bill calls for smoking to be banned in all indoor restaurants, including bar areas. Outdoor areas of restaurants could have smoking areas provided they are separated from inside sections by 10 feet or a solid wall. Bars that derive more than one-third of their gross sales from food would be defined as restaurants and also be affected.
Patrick McCain, president of the Hawaii Restaurant Association, praised Mansho for the effort.
"I'm optimistic that folks will consider an alternative that gives restaurants a little bit of a break," McCain said.
The proposed ban is one of several regulations that the state or city has introduced lately, he said. "They never think any of them have any economic ramifications, but they do all add up," he said.
Councilman John Henry Felix, one of the co-introducers of the bill, said that not only would allowing smoking after 10 p.m. confuse restaurant-goers, it would be unfair to restaurant workers who need to work those later hours.
"We've worked on a substantial compromise that has resulted in a bill we think would be acceptable to all parties," he said.
Five members have voted for the ban -- Felix, Duke Bainum, Steve Holmes, Gary Okino and Jon Yoshimura. John DeSoto and Romy Cachola have joined Mansho in opposing the measure.
Newest Council member Ann Kobayashi, who was to be sworn in today, told the Star-Bulletin that she likely will vote for the bill, although she said she would prefer the bill go further and ban smoking in outdoor dining areas as well.
Assuming the other votes hold, Kobayashi's vote could prove critical depending on what Mayor Jeremy Harris does. In 1995 the Council approved a ban with five votes in favor only to have it vetoed by Harris. Two other attempts since then to curb restaurant smoking have failed in the Council, most recently in November.
Harris has not said if he favors the current bill but has indicated he wants some kind of legislation in place before resigns in July to run for governor.
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