Some bar owners were unhappy when group backed 2003 ban
Jump to full article: Dallas Voice, 2008-01-25
Author: David Webb - Staff Writer
Intro: Dallas Tavern Guild officials plan to stay out of the fray if the City Council pursues a proposal to extend the city's smoking ban to nightclubs, according to a group official.
"The Tavern Guild is not taking a stand as an organization," said Michael Doughman, executive director of the gay and lesbian bar association. "We decided that was not something the Tavern Guild could do as a blanket statement. We're leaving that to the individual bars as to how they stand." . . .
Some local bar owners report that many of their customers complain about being subjected to second-hand smoke by other customers They also acknowledge that if smoking was banned in nightclubs, the costs of air purification and cleaning would decrease.
The ruckus in 2003 led to the gay and lesbian bar association adopting a new policy when it comes to divisive issues like smoking, Doughman said.
"When we supported Mayor Miller originally and took that stand for her, some of our members were not happy," Doughman said. "They did not feel that they were fairly represented, so we just made a policy that on those kind of decisions it would be up to individual clubs how they feel about it."
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