The era of being able to light up in a cigar bar in Anniston, Ala. could soon come to an end, as the city council has asked the city attorney to draft a proposal repealing the exemption granted in the city’s smoking ban, which was passed in Dec. 2015.

The request came by way of Councilmember Seyram Selase, who made the unexpected request during Monday’s meeting, saying that “I feel we need to be consistent as a city with our smoking ordinance,” according to WDNG-AM. Selase opposed the exemption, joining Mayor Vaughn Stewart as the two opposing voices in the 3-2 vote.

A date on the vote to repeal the exemption has not yet been announced.

Anniston is located 65 miles east of Birmingham and has a population of nearly 23,000 residents.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.