It was standing room only in the City Council chambers Tuesday night as restaurant and bar representatives, anti-smoking groups and public health advocates passionately presented their cases concerning a smoking ban for Madison's restaurants.
Although a compromise did not seem likely to please either side, council members still passed an extended smoking ban 13 to 7.
Under the deal, negotiated by a workgroup made up of representatives from both sides, establishments with less than 33 percent alcohol sales will be nonsmoking by Jan. 2, 2005, and those with less than 50 percent will eliminate smoking by Jan. 2, 2006.
According to Susan Breitbach, owner of Fyfe's Corner Bistro, 1344 E. Washington Ave., and member of the working group, the group attempted to reach a compromise over the past several weeks and meetings were often heated.
\The right way to handle this would have been to keep the [current] original ban,"" she said. Fyfe's Corner Bistro makes $1.5 million from alcohol sales annually, according to Breitbach.
Tensions ran high at the meeting as anti-smoking and public health advocates held out for the strongest possible ban, some emphasizing their case with rhymes like the ""Emphysema Blues"" and ""The Smoke Free Plan,"" a variation on Dr. Seuss' ""Green Eggs and Ham.""
Adam Benedetto, a restaurant employee, lit a cigarette in the city council chambers and, when Mayor Sue Bauman protested, said, ""What? You can smoke in my workplace but I can't smoke in yours?""
Meanwhile, hospitality industry representatives and employees asked the council for more time and consideration on the issue. Several urged the council to ""level the playing field"" by banning smoking in all establishments, not just those who serve food.
""If it's truly a health issue, this ordinance is neglecting other bar establishments that don't sell food,"" said Henry Doane, owner of the Orpheum Theatre, 216 State St., and Tornado Club Steak House, 116 S. Hamilton Street. ""I think it should be all or none. I think the only way to do it fairly is to treat everyone equally.""
However, Kami Eshragi, owner of Kimia Lounge, 14 W. Mifflin St., said he disagreed.
""I think if there was an overall ban, there would be a substantial drop in the hospitality industry's revenue. I'd prefer voters had a say,"" he said
Eshragi added that any smoking ban in Madison will discourage out-of-towners from visiting the city.
The new smoking ban also creates greater restrictions for restaurants with separately ventilated rooms, eventually prohibiting the rooms by 2006. Also, a ""hardship clause"" provides an exemption for restaurants who lose over 10 percent of their sales when they become non-smoking.
The council did not address the issue of opposing the United States intervention in Iraq as of press time.
