Big Tobacco will come out swinging

NYC mayor Bloomberg is ready to take on restricting the display of cigarettes in stores. 
The mayor of a tiny village that tried to ban stores from displaying cigarettes has a message for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as he attempts to do the same thing.
Good luck.
Mayor Michael Kohut, of the Village of Haverstraw in upstate New York, said the town board had to repeal its ordinance after Big Tobacco came after them with a federal lawsuit that would have cost the community -- population 11,000 -- hundreds of thousands in legal fees.
"They brought their full forces to bear and it was going to be a long, drawn-out, expensive process." Kohut said Tuesday. "I said unless someone wants to pay for this, I can't pass this onto my village."
As part of the settlement, the town rescinded an ordinance that would have forced retailers to keep tobacco products out of public view.  The tobacco lobby has said it might use "political" means to fight the NYC action, meaning they'll bankroll a campaign for a more tobacco-friendly city official for anyone coming up for election.
In Haverstraw, the mayor will be watching closely -- and rooting for Bloomberg.
"If the city prevails, I would think you would see a flood of communities pass something like this," Kohut said. "We’d be happy to pick up the gauntlet."