Greencastle City Council gives final approval to smoking ban

By Adam Coates, BannerGraphic staff writer

An anxious, and often vocal, crowd of about 100 people stood by at city hall Tuesday night as members of the Greencastle City Council voted to approve a citywide smoking ban.

Cheers and frequent jeers rang out during the nearly two-hour ordeal, forcing Mayor Nancy Michael to stop the action several times to ask the crowd to quiet down.

In the end, council members appeared about as divided as the crowd of spectators when they voted 3-2 to approve the highly controversial ordinance banning smoking in enclosed public places, including all restaurants, bars, retail businesses and indoor places of employment.

Council members John Lanie, Bob Sedlack and Russ Evans voted for the smoking ban, while Tom Roach and Mark Hammer voted against it.

Included in the ordinance Tuesday night was an exemption for private clubs, such as the Moose, Elks and Eagles lodges. According to the ordinance, smoking will be allowed at private clubs if they are closed to the general public. In the event that a private club hosts a public event, smoking will be prohibited during those times.

The exemption for private clubs was a complete reversal of what the council approved in April during the first of two required readings of the ordinance. In April, council members voted to remove the exemption for private clubs, sparking a wildfire of criticism from members of the private clubs who believed the council was going to exempt them from the ordinance.