No Smoking Allowed


Alan Beck and I had lunch at Tia Maria’s on Wednesday. We sat in the former smoking section as we waited for Jolanta and Cheryl. Alan and I had a quick conversation about the “smokeless” restaurant. I’m glad that Baytown passed a smoking ordinance a while back! It was a political hot potato, but it needed to happen. All you seemed to hear about was the smoker’s rights in the pre-election rhetoric. What about the rights of the non-smokers? Why should a non-smoker be subject to the repulsive unhealthy odor? It is plainly a health issue, a no-brainer in my book. No one has the right to jeopardize the health of someone else because they want to burn an addiction. It’s really nice to walk into a local restaurant and not be bombarded with second-hand smoke. I’ve found myself choosing to eat in Baytown rather than deal with a smoking section in a surrounding community. Smoke-free Baytown has made a difference – a good difference for our community.