Leggett's Israel Trip Is on Taxpayers' Tab

On the issue of hiring, Beyer said the measure would outlaw discrimination but not force any institution to hire a certain person.

Rollingwood Rejected

The County Council this week rejected for a second time efforts by the Rollingwood neighborhood near Chevy Chase to become a self-governing village. In a unanimous vote, the council reaffirmed its concern that allowing the area to become a municipality would divert more than $1 million from the county's pocketbook.

The council had agreed to reconsider the petition, backed by 500 residents, after rejecting it in July.

J.P. Montalvan, co-chairman of the Rollingwood Village Advocacy Group, criticized the council, saying it wasn't listening to residents' concerns. "This has been couched as a money issue, but they totally ignored the research that showed that the county would eventually break even on this," he said.

The council's decision, Montalvan said, shuts the door to all future municipalities, "because they have not created a process that is either fair or lawful." Montalvan said it was too soon to say whether the group would take its case to court.

Smoking Ban Anniversary

Montgomery officials this week noted the four-year anniversary of the county's law that banned smoking in restaurants, saying the law hasn't harmed the restaurant business and had led to approval of similar bans elsewhere.

The District and Charles, Howard and Prince George's counties have banned smoking in restaurants since Montgomery enacted its law. In February, Maryland will ban smoking in restaurants across the state.

"Thousands of restaurant workers and hundreds of thousands of diners have benefited from the measure, which protects them from exposure to carcinogenic secondhand smoke," Montgomery County Council member Phil Andrews (D-Gaithersburg-Rockville), who sponsored the law, said in a statement. "There will be no going back to the time of smoke-filled bars and restaurants. "

Montgomery County restaurant sales tax receipts have risen more than 22 percent since the law took effect Oct. 9, 2003, Andrews said.

"Not only have sales at existing restaurants continued to rise over the past four years, but many new restaurants have opened during this period throughout the county," he said.

"The law is working exactly as intended, protecting restaurant workers and diners at no cost to taxpayers. Enforcement is not an issue, because of the law's strong public support."

Leggett, a longtime supporter for the smoking ban, issued a statement saying he was "proud that Montgomery County has led the way in protecting the health of restaurant workers and patrons."