More than 200 Starkville citizens attended a town hall meeting Wednesday night at the Greensboro Center to discuss a proposal to ban smoking in all public places.
At the meeting, citizens aimed to provide the mayor and Board of Aldermen with information to help members decide whether to pass the proposed ordinance.
A woman stood at the door of the auditorium in the Greensboro Center offering citizens a “Breathe-free Starkville” sticker in support of the proposed smoking ban. Some accepted the stickers while others refused.
Once the meeting started, citizens provided over 40 advantages and disadvantages to the proposed ban in a list which will be typed and given to the Board of Aldermen.
Those in favor of passing the smoking ban listed advantages including growth of industry, increase in tax revenue, improved health and an increase in dining out. Those opposed to the ban listed disadvantages such as the difficulty of enforcing the ban, loss of business and the violation of private property laws.
“Businesses should not have to regulate what they don’t sell,” one of several business owners said during the listing process.
During the meeting, Mayor Dan Camp said he wanted to remind everyone that the Board of Aldermen did not write the proposal.
“This is a proposal presented to the Board of Aldermen,” Camp said.
After citizens listed all the advantages and disadvantages, a microphone was set on the floor for an open forum. Citizens could come and express their opinions on the matter.
Jammie Lee, a senior in electrical engineer at MSU, said he felt the smoking ban imposed on his private rights and that he should be allowed to smoke at certain places.
“If someone doesn’t want to be in a smoking environment, stay at the house,” Lee said.
Tanner Mixon, a freshman in biological sciences at MSU, said that he was not against smoking but that his support for the smoking ban came from health concerns.
“Smoking is someone’s personal rights, but that right ends at the tip of my nose,” Mixon said.
Mixon also addressed a disadvantage listed that said that smoking bans failed on the state level and would be difficult to enforce in Starkville.
“The reason it has failed [at the state level] is because our wonderful governor used to be a tobacco lobbyist,” Mixon said.
Robin Fant, owner of Bulldog Deli and Sweet Peppers, said although his restaurants are smoke-free and one of his family members has died from emphysema, he still opposes the smoking ban.
“The market should dictate, and the government should not mandate,” Fant said.
All of the restaurant owners are concerned that the ban will hurt their businesses.
Jennifer Crutcher, a senior in aerospace engineering at MSU, said she supported the ban for health reasons and that business owners have no reason to worry about people going out and coming to their restaurants if the smoking ban passes.
“I would go out a whole lot more if it was smoke-free,” Crutcher said.
Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins said he felt the meeting allowed everyone to express opinions on the matter thoroughly. Now, the Board of Aldermen has the responsibility to ensure that a decision is made in the best interest of the people.
“I am of the opinion that the mayor and Board of Aldermen should officially adopt an ordinance that bans smoking in all enclosed public places,” Perkins said.
Ward 3 Alderman P.C. McLaurin said the meeting provided a good exchange on both sides.
“Now, we will sit down as a Board of Aldermen to discuss the issue, which we have not done yet,” he said.
The ban proposed to the board was not written in the format required by Mississippi law, and the board cannot pass it until it is written in the proper format. The board will discuss the matter and then vote on the ordinance once it is put into the appropriate format, McLaurin said.
He added that he was undeclared in his vote on the ordinance at this time.