The Wichita Eagle Editorial Board wrote a follow-up to the disastrous, unprecedented policy adopted by the majority of Sedgwick County Commissioners on Monday evening. This policy was proposed, written, and adopted without any input from current employees regarding their support, need, or concerns. 

It’s premature to conclude that vaping is safe for users and bystanders. That makes the Sedgwick County Commission’s official endorsement Monday of employees’ and customers’ e-cigarette use in county workplaces, leaving any limits up to department heads, bad as human resources management and worse as policymaking in the commission’s dual role as the county board of health. One commissioner suggested opponents were being close-minded. But a truly open, informed process for dealing with such a decision would have fully engaged the county’s health department and the community’s health professionals, and ultimately favored their expertise over personal anecdotes and commissioners’ desire to appear politically incorrect and anti-regulation. – Rhonda Holman

TFW will continue to support efforts to reduce the impact of this unfortunate misstep by the majority of Commissioners. Sign-up HERE for TFW’s newsletters and action alerts to stay updated as this issue unfolds.