Debate With New Smoking Ban
President Ryan Vaughn of the city-county council is proposing a new smoking ban. He describes this new ban as an updated version of the current ban with some exemptions. The exemptions to this would be private clubs, internal organizations, retail tobacco shops, which are those bars that sell hookah, tobacco, and cigars.
Currently 350 businesses in the Indianapolis area permit smoking. If the ban is approved, that number could be reduced down to 60. While he may have support from some of the Republican, members of the Democratic council might disagree.
Democratic city-county council member, Angela Mansfield, strongly disagrees with Vaughn and brought forth a proposal for his removal as president last month. She spoke briefly about her dissatisfaction with Vaughn’s proposal by calling it “ watered down.”
Mansfield began working on a new smoking ban back in 2003. Mayor Greg Ballard plays a pivotal role in whether to expand the smoking ban. Over the years, he has switched his opinion. “The mayor in particular who wasn’t even supportive at all, well let me back up, he flip-flopped. First he said in 2007 when he was running for office that he was supportive but once he got into office he completely changed his mind and he actually killed it, the last time that we attempted to do it”, said Mansfield.
Her plans to take her proposal to the city-county council have been compromised ever since the election. With a new council coming in in January, and with the Mayor in favor of Vaughn’s proposal, she has since then reevaluated her decision.
She was planning to introduce a more comprehensive ban that would only permit smoking in retail tobacco shops that sell 85% of tobacco products. Vaughn made it clear that he is not a more comprehensive ban saying, “I don’t support, the Mayor doesn’t support a 100% comprehensive ban. Every indication is that is that’s what the Democratic council would pass or attempt to pass.”
Though he does not support the Democratic council’s proposal, he will need at least seven or eight Democrats for his proposal to pass. Vaughn considers this an opportunity for compromise, “I don’t think we need to be anymore restrictive than what I’ve offered. I think the Mayor conquers with that and I think its pretty comprehensive.”
Both Vaughn and Mansfield said that they have received both positive and negative support, but more positive than before. When asking about the support from bar owners, Mansfield said she has gotten support from many bar owners, “I heard a number of them say “do it for us, make it comprehensive, make it across the board that way because then our businesses won’t be hurt by that.” Vaughn says he’s seen a change in philosophy over the past few years, “I think in today’s society especially in a larger area like Indianapolis most people don’t expect to go in a bar to smoke.”
We’ll find out if the rest of Indianapolis agrees after the councils final meeting on Dec. 19. If this ban is approved, it should be implemented by Jan. 22, just in time for the Super Bowl.
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