Ballard clears the air on smoking issue

One thing became clear during an interview last week with Mayor Greg Ballard: He's tired of being asked about smoking bans.

It's understandable -- he's been answering persistent questions for more than two years.
Republican facing flak for threatening to veto the 2009 City-County Council proposals that would expand the ban on smoking Marion County, the majority of bars. Last year, the Democratic challenger Melina Kennedy criticized him on this issue.

And then, late last year, he endorsed the proposed compromise put forward by the former Chairman of Ryan Vaughn, who carried the liberation of the Ballard soul. But Democrats have been flooding the measure in the committee vote.

Now, with Democrats newly in the council majority, a bipartisan smoking ban proposal -- also mostly in line with Ballard's preferences -- is being introduced at Monday's meeting. . It will cover most of the bars, while the release of existing cigar bars and hookah, tobacco shops and private nonprofit clubs and fraternal organizations, whose members vote to keep smoking.

So, once again, the Indianapolis Star showered the mayor with questions about the smoking ban during a visit last week of his 25th floor office.
Here's one, but first some background: Ballard's advisers asking sponsors a new proposal to relax regulations on private clubs, so that those who keep smoking may continue to allow children in their buildings. As written, they could not, even if they are to host events such as weddings.
The Council sponsors noted that Ballard, in search of an exception for private clubs, never before revealed allows children as part of its requirements.

So why is he now? (Moreover, some Democrats in voting down the proposal last month, Vaughn cited as one reason for the late amendment that would allow children in the nonsmoking areas of the clubs).
Ballard, who said that he did not buy that the Democrats the true motive for the committee votes, conceded that he may not fully spelled out its intentions for private clubs.

"Maybe, but private is private, so far as I'm concerned," he said, and he does not want to dictate how these clubs operate. "Depending on what language we can look at it. I do not want to commit to anything. I just want to see what the language."
Incoming Democratic President Maggie Lewis told the Star last week that the club's relaxing position would "spoil everything."

Another question for Ballard: Board to vote on a new proposal by the end of January. If it passes, and he signs it, if he would accept the offer of the Lewis and declare a "pressing need" under state law, so that the smoking ban could come into effect in bars until February 5, Super Bowl?

Not too many chances, he said...

"I do not have Super Bowl time," Ballard said. "If people like that, if it was important to them, they had the opportunity in December to get it done" by passing a sentence Vaughn.
"We gave them 90 percent of what they wanted on a silver platter," he said. "We gave it to them, they said no. That's how I see it."