Baltimore Smoking Ban

I've mentioned before that we love Red Star. It's our favorite place to eat in Fells Point. For a long time, we would always go and it would be pretty empty. I could never figure that out-it's a neat space, has free parking in a lot across the street, and pretty good food. Recently that's changed-the City Paper gave it best brunch, and since we usually go for lunch on Saturday and Sunday it's been pretty packed the last few times we've been. They need to get their act together and hire a few more people though-the waitress we had on Saturday was incredibly frazzled and it took forever. We've wondered about the situation there since I don't think we've ever seen the same server there twice-odd considering how often we go. Interestingly, they have made the entire restaurant nonsmoking in the last month. Of course I have no idea how that's effecting their bar traffic at night but it doesn't seem to be hurting them during the day, in fact I'm wondering if it's a piece of their growing popularity. I strongly support a smoking ban for the city (for the whole state really) and think the arguments against it are flat out ridiculous. I heard on NPR last night that they did a study in Massachussetts that found there were more people avoiding restaraunts/bars that were smoky than there were smokers in the entire state. Restaraunt and bar revenue has gone up in every jurisdiction that has enacted the ban. If France and Italy can do it, so can we. I know I avoid places with smoking now if at all possible. It's one of the reasons I'm considering voting against Della for state senator, apparently he's very opposed to a smoking ban. I used to have mixed feelings about this-I'm not crazy about eliminating personal freedoms, but cigarette smoke is truly offensive to a lot of (most?) people now, not to mention the health risk it carries for people who work around it. I've come around to strongly support a ban in public places. Election day tomorrow-don't forget to vote!