Sure, landlords can do with their own property what they want, so how come private business owners of bars, taverns and restaurants in Maine couldn't do the same thing?
This state talks out of both sides of their mouths!
Quite a coalition.
I am wondering about the barf alert here.
Wasn't your position on this that property owners had the right to set smoking rules the last time there was a controversy? You wanted individual bar & restaurant owners to say "smoking" or "no smoking" so as to provide a choice. Knowing full well that all would say "smoking".
Well, here we have it in housing. The landlord has the right to say yes or no to smoking. What is wrong with that concept?
Or is it that you feel smokers have rights, but those offended by smoke have no rights?
Gather around and I'll tell you a tale. About a town which was receiving more trade and taxes from smokers than it knew. After running them out of the bars, they went elsewhere, and a bunch of bars closed.
"Good riddance," said the citizens,"We don't want bars here anyway."
The cigarette and sales taxes from the bars and the smokers disappeared. But, as we all know, the politicians kept spending like they had before the Temperance forces hit the town. Now the town ran a big defecit so the politicians had to raise taxes: sales taxes, income taxes and property taxes.
Now the citizens are picketing the politicians. People who never smoked in their lives are leaving the town because its property values are dropping due to its high taxes. Jobs are disappearing. Businesses are closing. In the face of rapidly falling collections the politicians have no choice except to raise taxes on the remaining businesses and property owners.
The town: Mesa, Arizona
Beware the law of unintended consequences.
Maine is none too rich, and it collects a bucket of money from smokers.
One is moving out at the end of the month after 3 1/2 years (bought himself a house), so I'll have the chance to check it out.
I figure after 3 1/2 years, I'll probably have to do some basic repairs, but mostly some paint and a lot of soap and water. Average costs to us when a tenant leaves is around $150.
I'll bet the farm it doesn't cost an extra $600.
"One of the reasons we're here today is to see how we can transition to smoke-free housing."
Just make it so. But, be aware that you may lose some people's business. It's the trade-off that is a judgement call.
Similarly, when restaurants and bars are allowed to choose, and some choose to be smoke-free, everyone wins. The smokers have the ability to find a place where they can be comfortable, and the non-smokers can also do likewise. When it is forced on everyone, a lot of businesses lose.
These gents need to understand that their decisions will have consequences, which may be positive or negative in effect. They need to make their own bed, and then lay in it.
Kewl, smokers will then just smoke on the back porch and let the smoke trail up to everyone else's apartments.
FYI ping