By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A St. Joseph city councilmember who sponsors a measure which would ban smoking inside the St. Jo Frontier Casino says the bill will return once the council meets in person again.
Councilmember P. J. Kovac never thought the city council should have excluded the casino when it banned smoking in restaurants and bars six years ago.
“My thought was if it’s that dangerous for everybody, then why isn’t it dangerous for the casino?” Kovac tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “They have the biggest crowds, probably the most popular venue in town and more people working under that environment and the worst environment of anybody. And I couldn’t understand, if it’s that serious, why would you put that many lives as risk?”
Kovac removed his proposal for consideration Monday after the city council decided to meet remotely. He argued that it was too important an issue to be decided during a Zoom meeting when public comment is often limited.
Kovac says he is still pushing for a ban, though the St. Jo Frontier Casino has made changes to its smoking policy, now relegating smoking to an area away from the slot machines, next to the restrooms.
“At least they can’t sit there on the machine and smoke for hours in that one spot,” Kovac says. “If they want to smoke, all they can do is smoke. It’s still in the casino, but it’s much better than it was with limiting it to eight people. They can’t sit there and smoke for hours, because they’re going to get bored. They’re going to smoke a cigarette and go back out there on the floor.”
Kovac says by withholding the bill until the city council returns to in-person meetings at city hall, he is waiting until there is a proper setting for both sides to make their case. Kovac says it is an important decision for the council.
“Because it’s the only venue in the city, probably anywhere, that you can smoke,” Kovac says. “The most crowded place in town, the most popular place in town and you’re putting all these lives at risk. I thought, well it’s not only the virus there’s really bad effects from second-hand smoke which I didn’t realize how serious it really was.”
There is no definite time when the city council will begin meeting in person again.