May 13th, 2013 Dear City of St. Joseph bar/restaurant owner, My name is Bill Hannegan.

Over the past eight years, I have organized opposition to smoking bans in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. I also work with a group of bar owners who monitor and oppose smoking bans throughout the rest of Missouri and across the country. We have been following the smoking ban deliberations of the St. Joseph City Council closely. I am writing to warn you that the Council is at a critical juncture in its decision making process as to whether or not to ban smoking in your establishment, and whether to exempt the St. Jo Frontier Casino from any smoking ban. Mayor Bill Falkner wants the Council to drop the smoking ban altogether, fearing the 30 percent losses some St. Joseph establishments may face due to the ban. He needs your support. If the Council passes a smoking ban that includes all bars and restaurants, but grants to the casino an exemption from the smoking ban, and hence a monopoly over indoor smoking in the city of St. Joseph, revenue losses for St. Joseph bars could be even greater than those experienced elsewhere, as smokers and their companions are funneled from bars and restaurants onto the St. Jo Frontier Casino gaming floor. Now is the time to act to stop this smoking ban! Experience in other towns shows that face-to-face meetings between bar owners and their council members is the most effective way to kill any ban. Short of that, phone calls and e-mail from the ownership, staff and patronage of worried establishments are also effective ban killers. Even if you have done so before, please immediately contact Mayor Falkner and the City of St. Joseph Council. Ask them to drop this ban! Bill Falkner, Mayor (816) 271-4640 bfalkner@ci.st-joseph.mo.us Byron Myers, Deputy Mayor Donna Jean Boyer Jeff Penland Pat Jones District 1 Joyce Starr, District 2 PJ Kovac, District III Gary Roach, District IV Barbara LaBass, District V (816) 273-3108 bmyers@ci.st-joseph.mo.us (816) 279-5259 djboyer@ci.st-joseph.mo.us (816) 341-4502 jpenland@ci.st-joseph.mo.u (816) 244-6229 patjones@ci.st-joseph.mo.us (816) 244-3906 jstarr@ci.st-joseph.mo.us (816) 261-2934 pjkovac@ci.st-joseph.mo.us (816) 341-4506 groach@ci.st-joseph.mo.us (816) 752-8363 blabass@ci.st-joseph.mo.us

Take action today to protect the freedom of your patrons and staff, as well as the property rights and economic life of your establishment! Sincerely,

Bill Hannegan 314.315.3779