Let the signing begin.

Opponents of an indoor smoking ban Tuesday will begin their petition drive to force the issue to the ballot — after weeks of clamor from critics of the prohibition and just a few weeks before the law goes into effect July 1.

They’re led by a new committee — the Appeal to Reason and Tolerance Coalition — composed largely of bar and restaurant owners who fear their businesses will be hurt by the ban.

“I sure as heck would like to put it to a public vote,” said Rick Renfro, owner of Johnny’s Tavern and a member of the coalition’s steering committee. “As a business owner, I’m about choice. I want a choice in how I run the business.”

Voters, he said, should also have a choice.

But the coalition will have an uphill fight. Most of members haven’t previously been involved in city politics.

They’ll first have to gather the signatures of 3,764 registered Lawrence voters just to get the issue on the ballot.

Even if that happens, victory is far from assured — more often than not, smoking bans triumph at the ballot box.

And they’ll face opposition from advocates for the ban.

“Most people understand secondhand smoking is deadly,” said Judy Keller, director of the American Lung Association of Kansas and a member of the Clean Air Lawrence group that lobbied for the ban. “I’m confident Douglas County voters will understand it, too.”

Long odds

Stephanie Staves, manager of Creation Station, 726 Mass. St., lets this large display in the store's window relay her thoughts about a citywide ban on smoking in indoor workplaces. A group that has formed to fight the ban will kick off its petition drive on Tuesday.

The city’s smoking ordinance, based on one in El Paso, Texas, would prohibit smoking “in all enclosed facilities within a place of employment without exception.” Violation would be a misdemeanor crime.

Combined with smoking restrictions passed in 1987, the ordinance would ban smoking nearly everywhere in Lawrence except private homes, smoke shops, some hotel rooms and open-air patios like those already operating at Replay Lounge, 946 Mass., Free State Brewing Co., 636 Mass., and elsewhere across the city.

Opponents must gather the signatures of 3,764 registered Lawrence voters to force the issue to a ballot, possibly for the November general election.

A list compiled by Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights showed that in other cities nationwide, smoking bans have been upheld by voters 54 out of 65 times when the issue went to referendum.

Dave Kingsley, who lead the Smoking Task Force study that sparked the ban, said no study had been made of why bans were so successful.

“I imagine there’s some mixes of reasons in there,” Kingsley said, “but I think mostly it’s a personal dislike for cigarette smoke.”

6News video: Smoking ban opponents will kick off petition drive Petition to challenge smoking ban (5-31-04) 6News video: Petition to overturn smoking ban nearly ready for circulation (5-28-04) Smoking ban not waiting on vote (5-12-04) 6News video: Petition seeks to overturn smoking ban (5-11-04) More stories about the smoking ban

Neophytes?

Renfro is joined on the coalition’s steering committee by eight others: Chuck Magerl of Free State Brewing Co.; Jessica Belmont of Miko; Jerry Neverve of Red Lyon; Connie Roach of Hereford House, Dave Boulter of Henry’s; David Johanning of The Sandbar, Peach Madl of The Sandbar; and Nick Carroll of Jackpot Saloon and Replay Lounge.

All except Belmont are bar and restaurant owners. Belmont and Neverve are the only two who lived in Lawrence and voted in the April 2003 City Commission election, according to Douglas County records.

They’re not political neophytes, however. Bradley has served on the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission and lobbies in Topeka during his day job as director of the Kansas Licensed Beverage Assn. Magerl served on the city’s Smoking Task Force, after an earlier stint on the city’s Tax Abatement Task Force.

Others say they’ve been involved in the community.

“I’ve been running a business for 25 years in Lawrence,” said Renfro, who lives in McLouth but will soon move to Lawrence. “I’ve been paying taxes in Lawrence and I’ve been donating and participating in the community.”

The kickoff rally will be 7 p.m. Tuesday at the American Legion, 3408 W. Sixth St.