The Wisconsin Restaurant Association announced Monday that a majority of Wisconsinites support the statewide smoking ban.
At the conference, organization and public health officials said they would support a statewide smoking ban that, according to a WRA statement, ""protects the rights of all workers, residents and visitors to breathe smoke-free air in public places.""
The WRA also addressed the results of a recent opinion poll of 500 Wisconsin voters.
The survey, conducted by The Mellman Group and Public Opinion Strategies, indicated 64 percent of respondents favor a statewide smoking ban, while 34 percent said they were opposed.
Sixty-five percent of those surveyed said a smoking ban would not encourage them to go to restaurants more often then they currently do.
Peter Hanson, director of government relations for the WRA, said the association's board of directors voted Jan. 30 in support of the ban before the results of the opinion poll were released.
""Our argument is mostly an economic argument: economic fairness to all the businesses that are involved,"" Hanson said. ""That doesn't mean that we don't see the public health argument too. We agree that there are benefits to the health of the employee and patrons of the restaurants, and that's an important part of it too.""
Mike Prentiss, spokesperson for state Senator Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said, ""Smoking is obviously something that's very polarizing, and it's an easy target for certain politicians to take aim at people who smoke.""
Prentiss added business owners should reserve the right to allow their patrons to participate in legal activities if they choose.
""If they are close to the city limits, there is someone just down the street who's playing by a different set of rules, and it puts them at a competitive disadvantage,"" he said.
Some restaurant owners are wary of a statewide ban. Madison restaurants, which have been under a citywide ban for about a year, say it has had an effect on business.
""It initially hurt the bar business and probably still is affecting it, but because we're a restaurant it wasn't as harsh for us as it was for bars,"" said Jeff Grabowski, manager of UNO's on State Street.
Restaurants outside Madison, however, say a statewide ban may have a bigger toll on business.
""I think it will make business go down,"" said Samantha Hackbart, manager of Hacks Sports Page bar in Oregon, Wis. ""I think it should be the bar owners' decision.""
