MINUTES 03-18-19 - Laserfiche WebLink

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started at 58% and now it currently is 82 %. He noted that when casinos came to operate in Ohio, they got onboard with the law because it was comprehensive and ensured a level playing field. Mr. Yogi Patel, owner of Ross Beverage located in Lakewood, spoke against the proposed ordinance. He has been a business owner in Lakewood for the last 15 years and has not been cited once for selling underage to children. He stated businesses thrive where uniformity lives. He has stores in Bay Village & Lakewood and his employees work shifts at both stores. He claims they are going to have difficulty with varying regulations between communities. He stated that the real health issue is people's cardiac health. He asked that the Council wait until laws become uniform on the state and federal levels of government, as he saw that Governor DeWine has proposed raising the statewide age for tobacco sales to 21. He stated that Lakewood is built on small, successful businesses and asked to what level cigarette sales went down in Cleveland once the Tobacco 21 law was passed there. He implored Council and the administration to wait until the state comes up with legislation. A motion was made by Councilman Litten and seconded by Council President O'Leary to adopt the legislation as substituted. Discussion: Mr. Bullock stated that he is a customer of Mr. Patel's store and he too saw a note about Governor DeWine proposal. He argued that there is an important health value to taking this step on the local level. Mr. Bullock did mention that if there is no damage to the public health value of the ordinance, that he doesn't see anything wrong with a carve -out or recognizing a premium tobacco store or unique business. He could support the first 2 amendments proposed by Mr. Corrigan (defining premium tobacco stores and only requiring signage that complies with federal regulation). He offered to make a motion to amend if other colleagues on Council support it. Mr. O'Malley stated that he is supportive of the ordinance. A couple years ago he proposed an ordinance that passed that removed the city's effective prohibition on tattoo parlors, with the reason that the local government should not make moral judgments on legitimate business owners or on what adults choose to do with their bodies. He supports this ordinance due to a preponderance of scientific data and that we should be considering smoking in the same light as drinking and gambling, which require one to be 21 years old to participate. He wishes that Council did not have to do this piecemeal and that this were a federal or state law. Mr. Anderson stated that he does not believe a thing that the tobacco industry says about what's actually in their products and brought up past examples where the industry misled customers. He added that it was not demonstrated to him that the ordinance would provide an undue burden on Mr. Corrigan's client's establishment. That is why Mr. Anderson did not pursue a carve -out. To Mr. Patel's points, he appreciates his commitment to Lakewood; however he is not convinced that there is undue burden on Mr. Patel or his employees. Mr. Anderson stated he is not of the appetite to entertain the proposed amendments.