Sioux Falls, S.D. (KELO AM) - Using a pen that Christine Erickson used to sign her first bill in Pierre, Mayor Mike Huether has signed into law a scaled-back version of the outdoor smoking ban on city owned property.
The council approved the measure 8-0, immediately following the vote Huether proclaimed "this Mayor is so dang proud to announce this has passed unanimously, and this Mayor wants to thank the Council for their work along with the other stewards that made this happen." He then expressed a desire to sign the bill immediately however he didn't have a good pen, Erickson then piped up saying that she had one from her days in the capitol that was once used by Governor Daugaard. She gave it to the Mayor, who then signed the measure into law.
The revised ban came after four months of deliberation and compromise among the council, let by Erickson who at times would make special trips to visit her colleagues at their full-time jobs for meetings during the day to hash out the details of the ban. "Lawmaking is a lot like making sausage, you don't necessarily want to watch the process and see what goes into the sausage, but you enjoy the product when it's done," said Mashall Selberg of the process.
Areas covered by the ban include the entrance to any city building, city parks when youth-oriented events are going on, areas around the clubhouse on city owned golf courses, and ticketing and loading stations for city buses.
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The ordinance was amended to extend the smoking ban from 20 to 25 feet from the entrance to city owned buildings such as the Premier Center, in order to bring city buildings within LEED certification standards.
There are no fines associated with the ordinance, however those who refuse to comply with the ban can be ejected from the event or building.
Events such as Jazzfest that would like to have a designated smoking area will see little change. Councilor Greg Neitzert and parks director Don Kearney emphasized that anyone who would like to have a designated smoking area simply needs to indicate their intentions on the event application. "It'll be a box you have to check, we'll review it, and determine if it meets the guidelines of the ordinance" said Kearney.
Many who spoke about the ordinance were in support of the measure. Activist Sierra Broussard staunchly opposed the ban; however had her input cut off by Huether after she compared the measure to laws made by President Putin in Russia.