Citizens Speak: Leaders Respond

Majority favor smoking restrictions

By more than two-to-one, Daviess County voters support a local ordinance that would restrict smoking in public places.

An Aug. 2005 random sample telephone survey of 401 Daviess County registered voters was conducted by Opinion Research Associates, Inc. of Little Rock, Arkansas. The survey was paid for by the American Cancer Society on behalf of O-DC Smoke Free, a group of local citizens supporting the ordinance.

Forty-nine percent of those surveyed were Democrats, 25 percent Republican, and 13 percent Independent. (The others identified themselves as Independent-Democrat or Independent-Republican or there was no response.)
Seventy-four percent of those surveyed were non-smokers, 10 percent smoke every day, and eight percent smoke some days.

Fifty-three percent of those surveyed were women, 47 percent were men.
The margin of error is plus or minus five percentage points.

• 65 percent of respondents favor a city ordinance that would make all public buildings, workplaces, restaurants and bars smoke free.
  • 50 percent strongly favor the ordinance.
  • 15 percent somewhat favor the ordinance.
• 30 percent oppose the ordinance
  • 20 percent strongly oppose the ordinance
  • 10 percent somewhat oppose the ordinance
• 5 percent have no opinion.

On a parallel track, O-DC Smoke Free, a citizens group promoting the ordinances, has been sharing recent research on the dangers of second-hand smoke. Citizens Health Care Advocates distributed similar information through email alerts and newspaper advertisements.

Opposition to the proposed ordinances may be substantial but does not appear to be organized.

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Officials considering ordinances

In recent weeks, several drafts of city, county and city-county ordinances to restrict smoking in public places have been proposed, circulated and debated, sparking letters to the editor, editorials and presentations to community groups. At press time, the countywide ordinance (which would include Owensboro) under consideration included the following:

• No smoking in any building allowing public access to people under 18 years of age or younger.
• No provision for workplace restrictions unless it employs people 18 years or younger or has an area for public access to those 18 or under.
• First offense: $50. Second offense and after: $100. Possible stiffer penalties for persistent offenders.
• Fines apply to employers as well as individuals caught smoking in restricted areas.
  

At press time, the tentative schedule was as follows:

December 1, 2005
Courthouse
4:00 p.m.
Daviess County Fiscal Court First Reading

December 15, 2005
Courthouse
4:00 p.m.
Daviess County Fiscal Court Second Reading

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