This Week on Talk of the Rock: Second Hand Smoke

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT

Last month the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly defeated an ordinance that would have put the question of whether or not to allow smoking in indoor public places on the fall ballot. The decision came after more than a month of heated public comments for and against the secondhand smoking ordinance.The ordinance failed, in part, because its primary backer, Assemblyman Aaron Griffin, was out of town during the final vote on the matter.
“I think I kind of pulled a grenade and walked away with my fellow assembly members holding the bag on that one, and I apologize for that.”
At a later meeting Griffin said that the ordinance’s 4-0 vote wouldn’t deter him from working with his fellow assembly members and the Kodiak community to draft a different secondhand smoking ordinance that could appear on a future ballot. He said the failed ordinance did have some flaws, but in general it’s one that is crucial to workplace safety.
“Until my seat is vacated I will continue to try and improve the lives of the workers in our hospitality industry in our town.”
Griffin will be on KMXT’s Talk of the Rock tomorrow to talk about where the smoking ordinance, if there is one, currently stands. Talk of the Rock is KMXT’s public relations show that encourages your participation in each week’s topics. If you feel a particular way about indoor secondhand smoke in Kodiak, don’t hesitate to call in with your comments, that number is 486-3181.