Comment from Steve Havey, Allegany County Legislator, District IV -
On Monday, the 9th, I had an opportunity to be part of the Allegany County Legislative process as we considered the proposed Tobacco 21 law. The public hearing lasted over an hour and many points of view were heard. I observed that the entire group of legislators were very attentive and focused on what was said. They all knew that this was going to be a very difficult decision and it was going to be up to us to make the best informed decision we can for our constituents. I know, for my part, I have downloaded and printed every letter, graph and research paper that crossed my desk or email box. I read them all, highlighted key issues and bound them into a two-inch-thick bundle, which I brought with me to the hearing.
My opinion on the issue has been formed over the weeks of
information that I have read and conversations that I have had with District 4
citizens, but my final decision was to be made after I had heard from the
people that came to speak on Monday.
When the resolution came to the floor for a vote, another interesting
part of the process unfolded. Rather
than a vote on the matter, there was a motion to table this proposed law until
it could be checked for possible constitutional flaws or improvements. I know from discussions with other
legislators that there was some concern about issues within the
resolution. The motion to "table'
was brought to a vote and passed with a vote of 8 to 7.
This was a real-life civics lesson and, while I would rather
have had an up or down vote, the majority spoke and that is how it should
be. The Tobacco 21 Resolution is not
dead, but will undergo an examination, revision and will, at some point, come
before us again.
