UPDATE Posted Friday, June 20, 2008 -- 5:15 pm
By Zac Schultz

Town of Springfield: Opponents say Madison's smoking ban chased a lot of bar business from the city to the towns, and now the towns fear the latest ban will chase their business to the villages.

We're hearing some of the same arguments we heard when Madison was considering its smoking ban. People should have their own liberty to choose if they want to be a smokefree environment," says Travis Hasse, owner of the Missouri Tavern along Hwy 12 in the Town of Springfield. He learned about the proposed smoking ban from one of his customers. "(I was) kinda caught off guard on it."

The ban is for Dane County's 34 rural townships. The county lacks the legal power to enforce a ban in the cities and villages.

So, as with Madison's ban, there will be winners and losers. "It would put a drastic hurt on our business for sure," says Hasse. "People come in and have a cigarette while they relax after work."

Travis says about a third of his customers smoke, and they could easily take their business a few miles down the road to Waunakee, Middleton or Dane. "I believe everybody should go on a true playing field. If they're going to do it, let them do it statewide. Don't let them decide township by county by county because it does put people at a disadvantage."

But supporters say this will level the playing field- for Madison. "This would clearly benefit those communities that have already passed ordinances to help level the playing field," says Sup. Scott McDonell, the County Board Chairman.

"They're saying, 'we drove some business out of Madison, now if we can drive it out of the rest of the county then we'll all be on a level playing field,'" says Don Hoffman, the Town of Springfield Chairman.

Hoffman says this is another example of urban liberals dictating social policy to the rest of the county. "We expect that sort of thing from the city of Madison dominated county board to come out and tell the rest of the county what's good for them, what's not good for them, how they should live, we should all be like them."

The smoking ban proposal was introduced at the County Board meeting Thursday. Supporters say the earliest it would pass is this August. If approved it will go into effect 90 days later.

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Posted Thursday, June 19, 2008 -- 4:46 pm
By Zac Schultz

Town of Westport: A smoking ban has been proposed for Dane County, but it will only cover the unincorporated townships. That's because the County Board doesn't have the legal power to enforce a ban in the villages and cities.

The Nau-Ti-Gal restaurant is located in theTown of Westport. On June 1st they became the first business outside Madison to go smokefree. "It was a business decision," says Co-owner Robert von Rutenberg. He says the decision paid off. "I'm pleased to say since June 1st our business has been up dramatically. We've had overwhelmingly positive comments, and there's some people who haven't been back since June 1st."

But the Nau-Ti-Gal may be alone for only a short time. County Board Supervisor Mark Opitz introduced a proposal today that would make Westport and all the other towns smokefree. "What it will do is extend the City of Madison's regulations to the unincorporated areas, the 34 towns around Dane County," says Opitz.

The towns would add to a growing list. Madison was the first to go smokefree, it was followed by Shorewood Hills, and more recently Monona and Fitchburg. This ordinance would add in the rural towns, leaving only the remaining 23 villages and cities without a ban.

That would mean 75% of the county's population would be living in smoke free areas. "Eventually the state is going to be smokefree," says County Board Chairman Scott McDonell. "Hopefully this will give our businesses an advantage in getting a head start on what's coming."

Opitz would like to include all of Dane County, but the board simply doesn't have the legal power. "We could not apply this to the cities and villages in Dane County. We lack the authority at the state level."

"This would clearly benefit those communities that have already passed ordinances to help level the playing field," says McDonell.

Wiggie's Bar is one that would presumably benefit. Dave Wiganowsky saw business drop off after Madison's bar went into effect, but as a Board Supervisor, he's not sure if he wants to do that to his friends. "I've got mixed feelings on it. It will definitely put more businesses on an equal playing field, for me. But then I'm going to have to vote against some of my friends that don't want it."

The proposal is being introduced at the county board meeting Thursday. Supporters say it could be passed by the end of the summer. The ban would go into effect 90 days later.