Bar, tavern owners protest smoking ban.

Byline: DIANE DIETZ The Register-Guard

Eugene bar patrons are skipping town for Springfield rather than abiding by the Eugene City Council's indoor smoking ban.

Or so say Eugene bar owners, who swear the proof is in their books.

Saying their food, drink and video poker revenues have dropped substantially - from 20 to 50 percent, for some - about a dozen Eugene bar owners and employees asked the council Monday to reconsider the ban.

"It has been devastating to us," said Old Pad tavern owner Cheryl McCabe, who said she lost $65,000 in the first six months after the ban took effect.

A couple of owners said their revenue losses have forced them to lay off employees. Several employees told the council that they've lost tips and hours because of the ban.

The bar and tavern owners, who've formed an association called Eugene Business Owners, asked the council to schedule a work session to consider their plight.

They said they want the council to rewrite the city law to conform with a state law - passed in the wake of Eugene's ban - that exempts taverns, bars, bowling allies and bingo halls from the no-smoking rules.

Councilors Pat Farr and Gary Rayor said they'd be willing to revisit the Eugene ordinance, but it takes a request by at least three councilors to schedule a work session. No other councilors indicated they'd be willing.

In an earlier interview, Mayor Jim Torrey said he's heard complaints about the smoking ban from five or six bar owners - but none at all from the general public. He said he doubts a majority of councilors would approve revising the city ban.

Farr, who is running for a seat in the Legislature, said he was the sole councilor to vote against the ban when it was adopted in November 2000. He said he predicted then that taverns would fail as their smokers headed out of town.

Bar and tavern owners raised a cheer when Farr said the council should revisit the ban now. The mayor admonished them to maintain decorum, reminding them that audience members shouldn't visibly react to councilor proposals inside the council chambers. "Once they go outside the door, you can kiss them," he said.

Farr followed the bar owners outside the chambers when they stood to leave. None of them kissed him, but several slapped his back and shook his hand.

"I'm hoping they'll show some fairness and revisit it," said Patricia McCall, who owns The Cooler in Eugene. "My overall business is down 53 percent."

Employees said their jobs have gotten more stressful and their tips meager since the ban took effect. Old Pad server Cynthia Adeniji said that in addition to worrying about "over serving" customers, she now has to be sure they don't smoke in the bathroom or take their drinks outside when they smoke.

Servers rely on their tips, which are plummeting, she said. "I'm a single mother trying to make ends meet."

University of Oregon senior Taunya DeBoer, another server, said she's pushed her work week from three to four days, and had to supplement her income with student loans.

She said her earnings have dropped by a third since the ban. "I don't know of any employee who's in favor of it," she said.

Will Kramer, who told the council that he owns four establishments, said the ban isn't good for customers, either. They have to drive farther, for one thing. And some are taking their smoking habit home, which isn't good for their kids, he said.

"The smokers are still smoking," he said. "They're taking it across the river."