Abstain On Your Record
There is talk tonight that City-County Councilor Dane Mahern may abstain from voting on the proposed smoking ban at Monday night’s meeting because a news story scheduled to break later this week that Mahern’s father, Ed, is a lobbyist for the tobacco industry and is holding Dane a fundraiser, his vote might be tainted.
Dane reportedly opposes the smoking ban and his abstention would make it easier for proponents to win what will already be a close vote. I think Dane should abstain from voting, but only if one of the chief sponsors of proposal 371 does the same.
According to campaign finance records, Angela Mansfield has taken at least $700 in contributions from anti-smoking advocates. So if there is an impression that Dane maybe in the pocket of the tobacco lobby, surely Angela would not want the same impression and the last thing she would ever be guilty of is hypocrisy.
