Parkville Re-examines Smoking Issue
Parkville Alderman Gia McFarlane assures residents and businessmen alike that the Board of Aldermen is in no rush to pass a law banning smoking in public places.
“[The board] is in the research stage,” McFarlane, who represent’s Parkville’s Ward 2, told The Luminary. “We’re taking it one step at a time and I want to make sure that Parkville’s interests are expressed clearly. There is no agenda.”
The issue of a smoking ban is nothing new for Parkville. Former Ward 1 Alderman Charlie Poole introduced the topic to the public in 2004 but the matter quickly became a point of contention for restaurant owners who argued that any ban would hurt their businesses. No law or legislation was ever considered in the Poole initiative. For the past several years, Ward 1 Alderman Deborah Butcher has handled the matter for the board, filling the rest of the board in on developments around the region. When Gerry Richardson was elected mayor in 2008, it was among the first topics he tackled, assigning McFarlane to the issue.
McFarlane immediately formed an Ad-Hoc committee and began researching information on second hand smoke and ordinances from surrounding towns. Those serving on the committee are Tracy Stevens, Kevin Heaton, Bruce Edwards, Janet Hessell, Denver Harris, Gia McFarlane, Susan Parsons, Karen Russ, Roger Hershey, Scott McRuer, Judy McRuer, Charlie Poole, and Larry Doughty. On June 30, the committee will hold a public hearing at the Woodward Conference Center at Park University.
“If people have an opinion to express, we’d like to see where people stand,” McFarlane said. She told The Luminary that the overwhelming amount of feedback she’s received has been pro-ban.
“The general consensus has been that they’d be glad to see it happen,” McFarlane said, conceding that a few restaurateurs were not in favor of the move. “With Kansas City’s ban about to go into effect, it’s not nearly the economic issue it was in the past.”
In the April 8 election, Kansas City voters approved a measure that would effectively ban smoking in bars and restaurants. That measure was scheduled to go into effect Wednesday but has since been ordered delayed by the Jackson County courts. Nine restaurant owners sued to challenge the law and a hearing is scheduled on June 20 to assess the merits of the lawsuit.
“I hate to push policy on anyone,” McFarlane added. “We don’t want to create any economic hardship for anybody. We’re listening to what the public wants.”
Currently in Parkville, The Power Plant, Café Cedar, Nick and Jake’s, American Legion and Rancho Grande permit smoking.