Finally!
September 15th, 2006 by JoshAfter years of waiting and being held up by political bickering and sniping, Mayor Street reluctantly signed Philadelphia’s very own smoking ban last night. No longer will us non smokers have to wash every single piece of clothing we wore after a night out! And no longer will I actually look forward to paying $8 for a beer in NYC just because I can enjoy it in a smoke free atmosphere. Yes, the bill isn’t perfect, but it’s a positive step for the health of the city.
And perhaps a bit more motivation for the smokers amongst us to quit…?
Philadelphia Inquirer | 09/15/2006 | No smoking: Street OKs, then rips ban
When Mayor Street signed legislation yesterday that finally banned bar and restaurant cigarette smoking in Philadelphia, he could have done so before a bank of cameras in his ceremonial reception room, surrounded by white-coated doctors and tobacco-free children.
In political terms, it would have been a killer photo opportunity.
Instead, after two weeks of veto threats and back-and-forth sniping with the bill’s author, former City Councilman Michael A. Nutter, Street signed the bill in private. He notified a few allies via an early-morning e-mail and informed Council with a terse statement.
He eventually huddled with reporters in a City Hall side corridor, but repeatedly emphasized disappointment with the details rather than joy at achieving a broader goal.
“We have work that needs to be done before we can have a ban that I think we all can be really, truly proud of,” he said.
The scene represented an apt finale to the six-year push for a smoking ban, a spectacle in which the rivalry between Street and Nutter - who profess to see eye to eye about tobacco - often took center stage.
Though the ban passed City Council in June, Street waited until the last possible day to sign it. The political fisticuffs with Nutter lasted just as long.
As late as Wednesday afternoon, the mayor was saying he hadn’t made up his mind, reiterating criticisms of a provision that exempts outdoor cafes from the ban. Nutter had said he included the exemption in order to win enough support to pass the bill.
And even after Street signed it, he ripped Nutter for quitting City Council - in order to run for mayor - shortly after the narrow vote on the ban. Calling the resignation “unfair,” Street said Nutter’s absence left Council without enough votes to “fix” the bill.
In sharp contrast to the mayor, Nutter was exultant as he passed City Hall en route to his nearby campaign office.
“It’s incredible,” Nutter said. “It’s a great day for Philadelphia. There are few things that I’ve worked on that will bring more good benefit to the city. Thousands and thousands and thousands of people will benefit now from a smoke-free environment in Philadelphia. I am very pleased and very proud of the work that City Council did.”
