Kaine Wants Smoking Ban In All Va. Restaurants

In Virginia, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association, which generated a letter-writing campaign to urge Kaine to prohibit smoking in all restaurants, said it will continue its lobbying effort with the General Assembly to get the ban passed.

"We applaud [Kaine] for taking leadership in this very important health issue," said Terry R. Hargrove, director of community relations for the American Lung Association of Virginia. "We are very confident that the bill will pass the Senate, and we also expect to pick up some support in the House."

Bill Phelps, a spokesman for Richmond-based Philip Morris USA, the world's largest cigarette maker, said that the company supported partial smoking restrictions in Virginia. "We have worked with interested parties, including the governor, and shared our position that we supported banning smoking in restaurants with the exception of the bar area of restaurants. . . . We think the governor's proposal goes too far."

Kaine said he opposed banning smoking in all public places. "I remain opposed to a widespread, general ban on smoking in public. This bill, with my amendment, is narrowly targeted to prevent smoking in restaurants, which is an important step to protect the health of both patrons and employees."

William D. Lecos, president of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, said if the amendment prohibits cigar smoking in the bar area of power lunch places such as the Capital Grille in Tysons Corner, the impact might be to "destroy commerce as we know it." Lecos was not ready to take a position on the amendment: "We are still studying it with the recognition that free choice in the marketplace is always our preference."

At City Tavern Grille in Manassas, a popular restaurant in Old Town, owner Pete Veltsistas welcomed the news of Kaine's proposed smoking ban. "I hope it happens," he said. "I would like to have a nonsmoking restaurant. For us, it would be a blessing to have it pass. I'm with that."

Customers in the smoking portion of the restaurant had mixed feelings. Denis Vinson was sitting with his regular lunch partners, Doug Carlock and Kendall Ball. Carlock and Ball are nonsmokers; Vinson smokes a pipe.

"It looks like something is going to happen nationwide," Vinson said. "I can't see it passing in Virginia, though." He said the smoking ban wouldn't affect his lunch habit. "I'd just leave my pipe in the car," he said.

Carlock was against the smoking ban. "In the scheme of things, I think it is a dumb idea," he said. "There are better things to go after than smoking."

Staff writers John Wagner and Amy Gardner contributed to this report.