Anti-tobacco questions draw large following

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, July 3, 2002 | 9:26 a.m.

Some indication of how anti-tobacco ballot questions might fare with Clark County voters in November came early in the process: the selection of committee members to prepare arguments for both sides.

Of the 17 community members who applied, only four requested to write opposing arguments to proposed legislation.

Committee selections were made at Tuesday's commission meeting.

Clark County officials plan to approach lawmakers for the third consecutive legislative session to attempt to wrest local control of at least some smoking restrictions for Southern Nevada.

Two advisory questions will appear on November's general election ballot.

The first asks whether the Clark County Board of Health should be able to adopt more stringent smoking laws than the state's existing restrictions to protect residents from second-hand smoke.

The second ballot question will ask whether lawmakers should pass a state law banning secondhand smoke from places frequented by children, including schools, grocery stores, restaurants and government buildings.

Larry Lomax, the county's registrar of voters, said it's difficult to gauge whether the number of volunteers who asked to write in favor of tougher smoking restrictions gives any indication of the election outcome.

The law requiring the county to assemble committees to write ballot question arguments is 4 years old and Lomax said he's struggled to get anybody to volunteer.

"To be honest, I never really thought about it," he said. "The law hasn't been around that long so there is not a long history."

The six residents chosen to address the position to strengthen smoking measures were Tanya Abel, who worked with Oregon officials to create a similar law; Mary Albers, president of the League of Women Voters; Joyce Albert, who helped Milwaukee officials form a similar measure; Ronald Barnett, a non-smoker; Nicole Bungum of the Clark County Health District; and Robin Camacho with the American Heart Association.

Three members write the argument, three write the rebuttal to the opposition's position.

Community members chosen to advocate the second ballot question were Beverly Daly Dix, Clark County School District; Helen Foley, a lobbyist for the Health District; Barbara Graham, a faculty member with the Community College of Southern Nevada; Gabriel Lither, an attorney; Celia Martin, a health care professional; and Linda Schrick, a fitness writer.

Opponents of both ballot questions are Carl Cooper, a businessman who believes casinos and tourism would be hurt by the laws; D'Lee Cooper, an educator who wants to prevent a "militant" environment; Sean Higgins, president of the Nevada Retail Gaming Association; and Sanford Marks, an adjunct civics instructor at the Community College of Southern Nevada.