A proposal to ban smoking in the bars of unincorporated areas of Lafayette Parish, La.was defeated by a 5-4 vote during the city-parish council meeting on Tuesday night.

The Acadiana Advocate reported that the debate lasted three hours and that while most who came to speak on the matter were in favor of the ban, the council saw it as a matter of government imposing its will on business owners and that they should be able to make the choice of whether or not to allow smoking on their own.

The proposal had garnered the support of numerous members of the local music community, including Grammy-winning entertainer Chubby Carrier, who became an advocate of smoke-free spaces after his father died of a smoking-related illness.

Lafayette is home to nearly 125,000 people, making it the fourth-largest city in Louisiana, while Lafayette Parish is home to just over 221,000 people. It is located about 130 miles west of New Orleans.

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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.