No Smoking Ban Planned for Mishawaka, Ind.

While the Mishawaka Public Health and Safety Committee was willing to listen to South Bend Common Councilman Gavin Ferlic about the merits of a smoking ban in his city, they weren’t willing to go any farther than that and have said there are no plans to adopt a ban in the future.

Ferlic spoke with the committee on Tuesday night in hopes of garnering their support to make a smoking ban in St. Joseph County more widespread, and in turn create a level playing field for businesses. Mishawaka neighbors South Bend to the east by just about five miles, and there is certainly concern that if South Bend were to pass a smoking ban, smokers who wish to light up in bars and other establishments would take their business to Mishawaka.

The core of Ferlic’s presentation came down to creating safe and healthy workplaces for all employees, which he feels is worth a slight decrease in revenue, according to WKOW. That argument didn’t sway the committee, though. It appears that they will comply with state laws and allow decisions beyond that to be made by individual business owners.

Additionally, Mishawaka’s mayor, Dave Wood, has said that he opposes any smoking ban that is more restrictive than what the state’s laws currently require.

The South Bend Common Council is scheduled to vote on a smoking ban ordinance on July 14.

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 Major League Baseball, 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.