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Excerpts from: Daley open to snuffing out restaurant smoking

By Sabrina L. Miller and Gary Washburn news.yahoo.com [08/29/02]
 
Mayor Richard Daley said Wednesday that he is willing to consider a total ban on smoking in Chicago restaurants, giving tobacco foes reason for optimism but sending a chill down the spines of Chicago restaurateurs.

Daley, who has been reluctant to support far-reaching anti-smoking measures, told reporters he has an open mind on a proposal sponsored by Ald. Edward Burke (14th) and Ald. Ed Smith (28th) that would go beyond the current restaurant requirement to set aside a certain percentage of tables in designated no-smoking areas.

"It's public health, and we have to look at it, especially [in] restaurants [as opposed to] bars," the mayor said. "Public health sometimes overrides a lot of issues. Let's be realistic. You try to come through this issue in a reasonable way, at the same time understanding smoking is bad for your health."