Mary Barnaby, owner of Franklin’s Don and Dona’s restaurant, speaks out against a smoking ban at Monday’s city council meeting. PHOTO BY SCOTT ROBERSON
By JASON MICHAEL WHITE, Daily Journal of Johnson County staff writer
Franklin is considering a citywide smoking ban that would include restaurants, bars and clubs. City council members do not plan to vote on a ban for two weeks at least, but that did not stop members of the community from having their say now.
The proposed ban’s most outspoken foes and allies packed into city hall for a meeting Monday night so the council could hear their input.
Why stop with cigarettes, one man asked in jest.
A person can die in minutes from severe allergies to a peanut, he said. Maybe the city should ban peanut butter. And get rid of McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme doughnuts, too, because, let’s face it, those are not exactly good for a person’s cholesterol, he said.
A Franklin College student cried at the loss of unborn infants who she said die from secondhand smoke. Soon after, a woman shared her story of having to work in a business that allowed smoking when she was younger. Now she has heart disease her doctors blame on her smoky workplace.
A business owner, tension in his voice, told council members the ban would make him lose most of his customers. Then a man tried to invoke patriotism by reminding the council of the importance of the freedom to smoke and to die.
The council’s decision will revolve around what is more important: the freedom of business owners to decide for themselves whether to allow smoking or the right for people to breathe clean air everywhere they go.
Custer Baker Middle School student Sheri Jones said she knows firsthand about the dangers of cigarette smoke. She said her grandmother and aunt died from cancer because of cigarette smoke, and her father has smoke-related illnesses.
Teenagers are the most affected by secondhand smoke because they have fewer choices about where to work and often start at entry-level positions in places where smoking is allowed, she said.
The goal of the smoking ban is to protect workers in all public places, said Gregg Bechtold, president of Johnson Memorial Hospital. He wants the hospital to promote wellness, not just treat the sick.
Franklin resident Rich Falkmann asked how far a city should go to promote health. He said the government should not restrict the rights of individuals, and that it would be easy for any interest group to sway elected officials to strip away peoples’ rights in response to health concerns.
Government should not impose its will on people, Franklin resident Ron Drury said.
And Franklin does not have to ban smoking just because other cities such as Greenwood have, he said.
Greenwood’s smoking ban, which does not apply to bars or clubs, takes effect April 21.
Copyright (©) 2025 Daily Journal (Franklin) eEdition