Smoking ordinance debated

The Bloomington City Council will consider an ordinance this month which would ban smoking in local bars and restaurants.\nIf the ordinance is passed, it would be one of the largest smoking bans in the Midwest that eliminates smoking in public places. Combined with a 1993 law that prevents new restaurants and bars from having smoking sections, the ordinance would effectively seal off the ability to light up in a public establishment. \nAnthony Pizzo, a councilman at large for over 11 years and a doctor at Bloomington Hospital, is sponsoring the ordinance. He said he is passionate about passing a ban because as a doctor he has seen the damage that smoking does.\n"I've seen the havoc it creates. It kills more than other things we ban," he said. "It causes more sickness, disease and hospital days, and it's just not reasonable to not do all we can to stop this plague."\nDebate over the ordinance could prove contentious as many members of the business community gear up to fight what some say is an unfair intrusion into the functioning of private business.\nMichael Shifleg, the bouncer at the Video Saloon, has supervised the Vid's smoke-filled rooms for over eight years. \n"At a private place like this, the owner should be able to make his own decision. People come to a bar to drink and smoke," he said. "A lot of people who will not normally smoke will smoke when they're drinking."\nThe Vid has tried to accommodate non-smokers by installing computerized ventilation systems, he said. \nJust up the street at Kilroy's Sports, Everett Clarcson checks IDs as customers file in. \n"We're passing out papers about whether or not people have a right to smoke in the bar," he said. "I think everybody has the right to go to the bar they want -- smoking or nonsmoking."\nBut student reactions are mixed, and many said they have not heard about the proposed ban yet. \n"As a smoker, I think I shouldn't be smoking this. And if people weren't walking around smoking cigarettes, I wouldn't bum cigarettes from them," said freshman Ellen Kamanecki. "I'm kind of impartial because my mom is allergic to smoke. I notice how much it bothers her, so I kind of think smoking should be banned even though I'm a smoker."\nPizzo said he expects the ordinance to be introduced later this month, possibly at the Feb. 19 meeting.