As NMB considers smoking ban, cities with limits say they’re doing fine

North Myrtle Beach could be a step closer to being smoke-free, at least in public, after Monday’s City Council meeting.

Meanwhile, locations that have already passed similar limits say the move has done little to harm business, although many urge for a larger statewide ban rather than piecemeal municipal rules.

The North Myrtle Beach council is expected to take its final vote on the city’s proposed public smoking ordinance Monday night.

A close majority of the council gave its initial approval Jan. 23 to the ordinance that would limit smoking in indoor public places. The rule is similar to ones adopted by Surfside Beach and Greenville. Atlantic Beach has also passed a nonsmoking ordinance.

Myrtle Beach is not having any discussion on the subject at this time, city spokesman Mark Kruea said.

Surfside Beach Mayor Allen Deaton said earlier this week that there was initially a lot of fear when that town adopted a public smoking ban in 2008.

There were concerns with local businesses even though there was a strong push against smoking, with more people in favor of a nonsmoking ordinance than against it, Deaton said.

Jonathan Staton, president of Dagwood’s Deli in Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach, said he was extremely opposed to the ban because Surfside Beach is a very small town.

“In Surfside, we had just opened up and people could smoke. Now customers have a choice to go outside town limits, which takes business away from me,” Staton said.

Before the limits, the Surfside Beach restaurant was nonsmoking until 4 p.m., which Staton said was his choice. Staton said the ban ended his business’s happy hour, a change that scared him. But Staton has been fortunate “to weather the storm” and maintain his regular clientele, he said, though he cannot say whether the smoking ban has had any effect on his success.

Since its inception, Deaton said no complaints have been filed or voiced about the ban, which he thinks is working for Surfside Beach.

“There’s always going to be some controversy initially,” Deaton said. “The way to alleviate that is for legislature to step in and create a statewide uniform. It is much more appealing. It makes it simpler for everybody involved.”

Staton and Rep. Tracy Edge, R-North Myrtle Beach, also think a statewide ban is the way to go.

“I’m OK with a smoking ban statewide because every restaurant, bar is in the same situation,” Staton said. “I don’t think it’s fair for one city to say it’s OK and the other say it’s not OK.”

Edge said the state Supreme Court has pushed the ability for municipalities to pass their own bans.

“It’s a cop out,” he said. “There’s no magic with putting it on the municipalities. I believe it should be a statewide issue, consistent from place to place.”

Some North Myrtle Beach City Council members have also said prior to considering the proposed nonsmoking ordinance before them that a smoking ban should be left up to the state and not a municipality.

North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley was one of those individuals. But during the council’s Jan. 23 meeting, Hatley said she voted for the nonsmoking ordinance in North Myrtle Beach because of feedback she received from other South Carolina mayors who have similar ordinances. They said the decision hasn’t hurt their community or businesses, she said.

Kruea said a smoking ban “seems to make sense on a statewide level.” It has worked well in North Carolina, he said.

North Carolina banned public, indoor smoking statewide in 2009.

A few North Carolina businesses, mostly restaurants, said “they had a few regular customers that complained at first, but have adapted and continue to frequent those businesses,” said Cathy Altman, president and chief executive officer of the Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce. “One server noted that the ban even encouraged some smokers to quit smoking. They also noted that many visitors from out of the area would ask if it was nonsmoking before the ban went in to effect as they didn’t want to be around smoke, so these people were excited to learn there was no smoking.”

“Many find their business is still going strong and it really didn’t affect their business at all,” Altman said.

Tim Madison, owner of Duffer’s Bar & Grill in Shallotte, N.C., used to allow smoking in his bar, but not in the restaurant half of his business. He said the ban helped because with the smoking “you smell like an ashtray when you leave and that’s not good for nonsmokers.”

“It makes the atmosphere more pleasant where you don’t have that smoke smell that stinks,” Madison said.