suspend D.L. due to smoking law

[kahunakat]

my family owned tavern of 23 years was just
cited for smoking.98% of customers smoke but if i do not pay $260.00 they will suspend my
drivers license(i have a perfect driving record) What would you do??

 

[buddy2bear]

If you own your tavern in one of those lovely States or Cities that do not allow smoking indoors, even in a bar, then you should pay the fine, get together with other restaurant/bar owners and go to your city council, district representative, State legislature and see if you can get the law changed or amended. Otherwise, you will have to INSIST that your customers do not smoke in your establishment, which means, no matter what the newspapers say, you will lose business. 25% of the population of the U.S. smokes and foreigners smoke even more. If you do not insist that your customers not smoke in your establishment and/or you do not have the law amended, then you will be a "cash cow" for your State because they will continue to fine you and I do believe that the fines will continue escalating upwards. I also believe there might eventually be jail time.

 

[kahunakat]

One more question,please.
I just inherited the bar and trying to learn
what i can...What is a city council meeting like? if i go,what do i do there???

 

[buddy2bear]

Goood question! In Baltimore Co., Maryland, Comcast offers a channel that allows us to watch the Baltimore Co. council in action. I really don't pay too much attention to it, but occasionally I do watch it for a while. However, you have to find out if your "no smoking" is a law or an ordinance first. If it is a law, then I think you would have to have your State representative propose an amendment to the law - which I don't think he/she would do unless you had a whole pile of other bar/restaurant owners behind you. If it is just a city/county ordinance, then you have to see what you would need to do to overturn it or amend it -- possibly need a petition signed by a pile of people! Either way, since "smoking" is the bad guy this decade, it will be an uphill battle. Perhaps it would be better, depending on where you are weather-wise, to have an outside dinning/drinking area -- like a terrace or something.