Local Leaders Shame Bloomberg on Soda Ban

This week, the , with one abstension, passed a ban on sugary drinks over 16 ounces in "food service establishments." 

The ban, which was certainly the has created controversy and near universal agreement among City Council members.

Forest Hills City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz called the ban a classic example of government overreach.

"While obesity is a serious epidemic in NYC, the amount of soda or the size we consume is a choice that should be left for the individual to decide using their own discretion," Koslowitz said. "This ban is a perfect example of too much government imposition into our personal lives.” 

City Councilman Dan Halloran, R-Bayside and a local Congressional candidate, has been strongly against the ban.

"The mayor has decided and his appointees have agreed: You are not fit to take care of yourself," Halloran said. "Government has to take care of you. This kind of arrogance is bad for the health of our democracy."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has argued repeatedly that the ban is a common sense measure that encourages healthy choices rather than restricting individual freedoms.

State Sen. Tony Avella, long an advocate of good government, disagrees and says the ban infringes too much on personal choice.

"I believe that this just goes too far," Avella said. "There are surely other ways to curb obesity rates in this city that do not involve infringing on an individual's personal choices. Today, the mayor is saying you can't have a big soda, what's next?"