StL County Council Votes to Place Smoking Ban on Ballot

Last night, the St. Louis County Council approved the measure calling for the election. The vote was 4-3. Most indoor areas are included in the ban. Bars and casinos are the major exemptions.

Barbara Fraser, the measure's champion on the Council and a candidate for state Senate, said she hopes the groups realize it's just a beginning. "Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, California, all of those states took small steps and then took larger steps when they had a mass of people who could support clean air," she said.

The County Council did the right thing in letting county citizens vote on the issue. Unfortunately, no one on the council has stepped forward to propose letting citizens vote on the maligned trash program. Instead they're leaving it up to the courts to make the decision for them.