McComb selectmen voted 5-0 Tuesday to strike down an ordinance that would ban smoking in all public workplaces in the city.
The Mississippi Tobacco Free Coalition proposed the ordinance after the organization conducted an air quality study in several McComb bars and restaurants. Coalition officials said non-smoking restaurants and bars had acceptable air quality, but those that allowed smoking had harmful air quality, according to federal environmental standards.
About 25 people opposed to the ordinance showed up t Tuesday’s meeting to learn the outcome of the vote and applauded when the board struck the ordinance down.
“I am just glad they did the right thing,” said Lloyd Kinchen, owner of The Caboose restaurant, which has a separate bar that allows smoking. “That must show that the people, and the board that represents the people, must have been doing the right thing. I am glad it is out of the way.”
The city already has an ordinance on the books that bans smoking in most public places. Restaurants and bars that have smoking sections must keep them separate from non-smoking dining areas and have a separate air filtration system.
“I am a non-smoker, but I choose to go into some of these businesses that have the filtered air,” Selectman Ted Tullos said this morning. “That is our choice.”
He said employees also have a choice.
“People have a choice to work in those places and that is what they choose to do,” Tullos said.
He said the decision also was for the benefit of the businesses in the city.
“I would like to see businesses be successful in McComb,” Tullos said.
Selectman Melvin Joe Johnson voiced his opinion before the vote Tuesday night.
“If you go to a restaurant or bar and you don’t want smoking, you go somewhere else,” he said. “I think they should have a right to go and if they want to smoke in the bar or outside that would be the best thing to do.”
Selectman Tommy McKenzie did not vote because he was presiding over the meeting as mayor pro tem in the absence of Mayor Whitney Rawlings, who was out of town, but he said this morning he agreed with the decision.
“I think the current policy we have in place is fine and is working really good in the city,” McKenzie said. “Some of the businesses in town have spent a lot of money to meet that ordinance.”
Rawlings said this morning he disagreed with the board’s decision. “I was disappointed,” he said. “I think being a healthy community is very important, and this comprehensive ordinance would have spoke to that.”
