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 ...
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