Joseph Dits and Ted Booker, South Bend Tribune
A smoking ban that recently took effect in South Bend hasn’t caused a scramble to follow suit among elected officials in Mishawaka, St. Joseph County and Elkhart County.
Smoking of tobacco of any kind is now banned in all South Bend workplaces, including bars and private clubs. The ban, which took effect earlier this month, was passed in March by the South Bend Common Council passed with a 6-3 vote.
But the Mishawaka City Council and Mayor Dave Wood are showing little, if any, interest in a smoking ban for their city.
Mike Compton, D-5th, said he’s always supported a ban out of concern for the health of bar and restaurant employees, but he realizes he’s in the minority.
Most other members say it’s a decision that businesses need to make.
Among them, Kate Voelker, R-4th, who’s director of the nonprofit Riverbend Cancer Services, said, “It’s not that I don’t believe that smoking is detrimental to health. … It’s (tobacco) a legal product, just as alcohol is legal.”
St. Joseph County Council President Rafael Morton, D-District D, said he’d be receptive to eventually exploring the possibility of a countywide smoking ban. But he said the council now has a full plate of other business it is addressing, and it’s uncertain whether the issue will surface.
“If and when it does come up with the county council, it’s something we would look at and explore to see how it could affect businesses, restaurants and bars,” he said. “It’s something we could discuss as it relates to what South Bend does and what Mishawaka and the county doesn’t do.”