But hearing divided; Springfield ban hasn't hurt business

QUINCY IL -- Quincy is known for its German heritage and was once called the Jug Beer Capital of the World.  Today there are about 30 corner bars and taverns in the city.  And those businesses are often home to smokers.  So some local bars that are lit up about the possibility of a smoking ban.

What would a bar frequenter do if a smoking ban were in effect in Quincy? Steven Campbell has been going to the Harrison Pub for about 30 years.  He says a smoking ban would mean a change of habit.  "I guess I wouldn't come in here anymore. I'd go outside of town. If there were taverns there, I'd just go there," Campbell said.

"A lot of businesses in town, it would probably hurt them. Because a lot of people wouldn't go in there if they couldn't smoke," bar customer Mark Lowis said.

And that's exactly what many of Quincy's tavern owners are afraid of. We checked in with Mr. Bill's, the State Street Bar & Grill and Harrison Pub. All of them agree that a smoking ban would hurt business.

In fact, State Street Bar and Grill Manager Julie Lockett fears that if the smoke goes out in Quincy, the doors to the business will close for good.

"I'd probably be out of a job. Businesses are not going to be able to keep open. It's going to be hard on a small town business," Lockett said.

And they all agree that the decision to smoke or not to smoke should be left up to businesses. And those who don't like to be around smoke should take their business elsewhere.

When the Coalition for a Smoke-Free Quincy held a public forum Wednesday night the proposed ban, opinions were more divided.  About a dozen people stepped up to the podium to express their views, both for and against the proposal.

Some bar owners, as expected, were outspoken against the ban. Others would like to see a happy medium, one example being for businesses to post a sign stating whether or not they're smoke-free.  And those for the ban say it's their right to breathe clean air.

In Springfield, a city that's already enforced a smoking ban, businesses have not suffered as a result. That was the word from April Bailey with the American Lung Association in Springfield.

"It has a mutually positive economic effect. What we've seen with businesses is either no effect or a positive one. Putting this into effect would show Quincy is a leader in the area and it would show they care about the health of their residents," Bailey said.

Bailey says that's because the 80 percent of people who don't smoke are more likely to visit former smoke-friendly businesses if a ban passes.