Posted on: Thursday, July 3, 2003

Big Island smoking ban amended to exempt bars

Advertiser Staff

The Hawai'i County Council yesterday postponed a final vote on a restaurant smoking ban, but amended the proposed bill to allow bar patrons to continue to smoke.

Under the original proposal, Hawai'i County would have been the only county in the state to ban smoking in bars. Kaua'i, Maui and Honolulu allow smoking at stand-alone bars and nightclubs where food service is considered incidental.

In a contentious daylong meeting that included public testimony, the council voted 5-4 to exempt stand-alone bars from the no-smoking rules. Voting for the change — which also had the support of Mayor Harry Kim — were council chairman James Arakaki, Aaron Chung, Gary Safarik, Leningrad Elarionoff and Joe Reynolds.

Opposing the bar exemption were Dr. Fred Holschuh, Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, J. Curtis Tyler III and Bob Jacobson.

County attorneys advised the council that the substantial change in the legislation required a delay in a final vote. The amended bill will come up for approval July 23.