Pueblo Smoking Ban Opponents Turn in Petitions

KOAA.COM | 01/08/03

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The Pueblo City Clerk is in the process of verifying thousands of signatures from those who don't agree with the city's new smoking ordinance. Attorneys for the group against the ban turned in more than 10,000 signatures on Wednesday. If the signatures are determined to be valid, the smoking back will be suspended and the measure will go back to city council. Council could then repeal the ban, modify it or send it to the people for a vote.

The attorney for the anti-smoking group, Joe Losavio is hoping for the vote, "If you say 'well there are many more non-smokers than there are smokers,' in any election the people who turn out the vote are gonna win and will try very hard to do that."

The city clerk's office plans to work on Saturday to get the signatures check and confirmed by early next week. The anti-smoking campaign needs around 3,300 qualified signatures to suspend the new ordinance.

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The petitions were finally turned in to the city clerk today! There were over 10,000 signatures on those petitions. Not bad, considering that inside the city limits of Pueblo, the population is about 100,000 in the city. Even if they throw out 1,000 of the signatures, that still means that about 1 in 10 people are against this smoking ban. When are the idiots in city council finally realize that Pueblo does not want this stupid ban.

[Bob]

If you're involved in this effort - one thing to remember:

Stress the business owners' rights to control their smoking/non-smoking policies, rather than smokers' rights. A lot more people will agree on that idea.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Rebelbase]

I bet the City Council is to chicken to recind the ordinance and will force it a public vote, spending needless taxpayer money.

[Mark]

WHAT about the recall petitions? I heard that the council geeks were up for recall in the same petition.

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Yes, I am involved in this effort. And we are extremly expressing this as a violation on the business owners rights. And I am also stressing the potental loss of sales tax revenue. This city was comming 100,000 dollars over budget. When city council proposed cuts, everyone who receives city money were up in arms about loosing money. If the smoking ban ever does go into effect, the loss of sales tax revenue will cause the city budget to go farter into debt. I have been stressing this to everyone I can. Hopefully, the people of Pueblo will realize just how harmful the smoking ban will be on this town.

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The recall petitions are still being circulated. These are all seperate petitions. Our main concern was to get the needed signatures to get the smoking ban overturned. Now, we are filling up the recall petitions. We only had 30 days to file the petitions for the smoking ban. We are hoping to have the recall petitions turned into the city clerk by the end of the month.

[supercat]

Stress the business owners' rights to control their smoking/non-smoking policies, rather than smokers' rights. A lot more people will agree on that idea.

Another thing to point out is that smokers don't object to individual businesses deciding to ban smoking; they just go elsewhere. What anti-smokers are trying to do is ensure that smokers can't go anywhere.

[TXBubba]

Glad to see this. They also have passed a non-smoking ordinance in Round Rock, Texas. I heard on the morning news the other day that there is a lady in Round Rock with a petition drive like yours. I hope both groups are successful. And I'm not even a smoker.

I had a LIVE experience two weekends ago that I had read of happening before in a comic newspaper article. I couldn't believe it repeated. We are in a historic Texas BBQ joint. The walls are black with smoke. You can taste the smoke in the air. A family comes in and the lady in the group is asking one of the other members if they think there is a non-smoking section. I almost (and should have) laughed out loud. What a moron!!!!!

[SheLion]

If the signatures are determined to be valid, the smoking back will be suspended and the measure will go back to city council. Council could then repeal the ban, modify it or send it to the people for a vote.

I don't like this. It will still be in the hands of the anti's to kinda control. Send to the people for a vote? Well, I sure hope there are enough smokers and non-smokers to vote against the ban. If not, smokers, being only 25-30% of the vote, lose everytime.

[SheLion]

I bet the City Council is to chicken to recind the ordinance and will force it a public vote, spending needless taxpayer money.

Time and time again I have seen this happen. And since only 25-30% of the city smokes, we lose every time. The anti's brain wash the non-smokers, who before, never gave it a second thought. Now, with all this spin going around about second hand smoke, non-smokers are running scared.

[Great Dane]

Good work, and good luck to you.

[Max McGarrity]

If it goes to a public vote, the national anti-smoker groups will kick in gazillions of dollars for propaganda prior to the election. You'll be lucky if they don't add a little rider to the bill to raise tobacco taxes and give the money directly to them. It's happening all over the country, most recently in Florida.

Try "recalling" the local Charity Cartel.

No matter what you think of smoking, remember the rights being trampled here are those of the business owner to permit a LEGAL activity in his own establishment. Let the free market work and EVERYONE have a choice.

[Max McGarrity]

haapse, #13 was supposed to be to you. If you need it, I have lots of information on businesses that have gone under due to bans like this one. Just holler.

[jdontom]

I don't like this. It will still be in the hands of the anti's to kinda control. Send to the people for a vote? Well, I sure hope there are enough smokers and non-smokers to vote against the ban. If not, smokers, being only 25-30% of the vote, lose everytime.

SheLion are you sure you only hurt your leg in the freak, maybe you could have hit your head. LOL.....This isn't much of a win for us but right now the way it looks we'll only be smoking in selected Out Houses on street corners if it gets any worse. Lets hope for the best on this at least they are taking another look at it.

Welcome back from your fall, easy on the vicodin.........

[haapse]

I would like to have any information you have. I am on the pr committee. and any information would be great. Thanks for the help.

[Hell to pay]

I bet the City Council is to chicken to recind the ordinance and will force it a public vote, spending needless taxpayer money.

35% of the population smokes in here, according to the local Health Department.

I believe the gameplan here is to get them to recind it or the petitions for recall will be submitted.

While the Council can refer the ordinance to a public vote in the next general election, the Councilscum Recall Election could be a forced special election. How these weasles can avoid the special election on the no smoking ordinance is a bunch of crap, I'm sure a special election on that ordinance would be wildly successful due to the likely voters.

[SheLion]

Welcome back from your fall, easy on the vicodin.........

HEY! Be nice now! heh!

Well, I have seen it time and again, how they just rubber stamp these bans, without so much as giving anyone opposing the bans a second look.

I guess we can only hope for the best. But at least, the dust is being stirred for once, in stead of business owner's just bending over for them so easily. This is a positive sign.

Vicodin? Didn't get that one. :( Is it any good?

[Max McGarrity]

You've got FReepmail!

[Just another Joe]

Vicodin? Didn't get that one. :( Is it any good?

WhOOOO, a swift rise and a slow fall.
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