Today Mayor Kelly will be doing the right thing when he vetoes the smoking ban proposal. The issue has proven to be very devisive among the public. Local business people have literally pleaded against the ban arguing that it would be imposed in a way that will cause them financial harm. A responsible Mayor can't ignore the outcry and the pleadings just so a measure can pass in order to demonstrate a handful of councilperson's idea of "St Paul showing leadership" on the controversial issue. If the intent is really to safeguard the public health wouldn't it be better, having raised the issue, to now put aside the St Paul ban and encourage instead action on a regional level? The goal would be the same but the effect would lessen the harm to St Paul business. Granted it wouldn't look as dynamic on re-election campaign literature but councilmembers shouldn't pass a devisive ban for what Bill Clinton calls the worst possible reason: because you can!
I'm glad that "St Paul voters" were mentioned in the previous letter. I'm not aware that any council member was elected on the issue of smoking in bars and restaurants. Am I wrong? Wasn't this the brainstorm of a single member? If there had been a groundswell of support for such a ban and city officials were elected to propose or guard against such legislation than the whole dynamic of this debate would be different and actions taken would have greater legitamacy. Instead it came about in a rash, flippant manner threatening financial harm to local business people. There are other, wiser ways of proceeding on this issue. Mayor Kelly will be exercising wise leadership today by vetoing the current proposal. Bill Holland Mounds Park In a message dated 6/24/2004 9:37:39 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > > > > > I'm not as quick to join in the Sell-out Chorus. Mayor Kelly says he's > vetoing this in favor of taking a regional approach. If he's not just > blowing smoke, that would mean reducing the health risk for a significantly > larger number of people while taking the boogie man of out of picture for > bar owners as well. The presumption of senatorial savvy and statewide > connections is the reason voters preferred candidate Kelly. If he's really > got any, he won't make an empty promise like this without being assured of > having the regional support to back it up. > > If, otoh, Kelly is banking on voter amnesia to stall while the issue goes > up in smoke, he picked the wrong issue. St. Paul voters won't forget about > this one so he'd better have good reason for his regional optimism, and I > think he knows that. It's only if he can't deliver that he may have to > seek the last refuge of a St. Paul political scoundrel and switch to a > party that rewards incompetence in order to salvage a political career. > > - Guy Western > the West Side > > p.s. If you reply to this public post by private e-mail, please keep it > free of obscenities, threats and insults. Stooping to these kind of > offline tactics in a forum whose public face purports to offer solutions to > questions of family values and public education is the rankest form of > hypocrisy. Hiding behind an internet keyboard to issue impotent threats > and inflammatory insults demonstrates the lowest cowardice and only serves > to diminish the ideological viewpoint of the sender--left or right. > > > [Original Message] > > From: David Shove <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Date: 6/24/04 2:53:42 AM > > Subject: Re: [StPaul] Kelly to sell us out tomorrow..... > > > > Kelly sold us out many months ago. > > > > A Dem who does the Chamber of Commerce starboard step. > > > > TIF, stadiums, endless welfare fot the rich. > > > > Of course he's going to use all his power for Big Tobacco. > > > > He has to go. Who will run against him? Let's make Kelly history. > > > > --David Shove > > Roseville > > > > On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Kelly was on the news tonight saying he will veto the smoking ban > tomorrow. > > > > > > I voted for Kelly in the Primary, and in the general election. Next > > > election, I will do what I can to oppose him if he follows through with > > > the veto. > > > > > > Kelly has sold us out. > > > > > > -- > > > Bob Treumann, Saint Paul > > > Please Note: Replies to this email address all go to the trash except > > > where the subject line contains a recognized mailing list identifier, > such > > > as [TCMETRO],[StPaul], MP-N ... > > > > > > _____________________________________________ > > > NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: > > > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul > > > > > > Archive Address: > > > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ > > > > > _____________________________________________ > > NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: > > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul > > > > Archive Address: > > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ > > > _____________________________________________ > NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - > visit: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul > > Archive Address: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
_____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
