Smoker's days are numbered in Hoover. Tuesday night, the city council passed a new ordinance outlawing the habit just about everywhere.
After four years, the Hoover City Council finally passed a city wide smoking ban. It basically outlaws smoking in anywhere public. Malls - off limits. Stores - off limits. Just about everywhere else - off limits. Why did it take so long? City leaders were waiting on Montgomery to make a move first. "We had hoped the legislature would do this over the last couple of years. It didn't happen sow went ahead and put together a smoking ordinance that we felt we could pass and on that the community could live with," says Mayor Tony Petelos.
Petelos and Council President Gary Ivey signed the ordinance, backed by teen peer counselors from Hoover and Spain Park High Schools. The Hoover group helped start the push for a smokeless city four years ago. "I think it's just amazing really that a group of students can just come together to just talk about not just preventing drugs, alcohol and tobacco but to really prevent it to help out community," says junior peer counselor Mandy Steadman.
Some may think the ordinance is too lenient. Others may think it's too harsh. But Mayor Petelos says they tried to do what was right for the most people. "I think this is a great compromise, there are very few exceptions, very few," he says.
Bars and pubs can still allow smoking inside. Restaurants with bars can too, if the smoking section is walled off and runs off a separate ventilation system. And hotels motels can allow smoking in only 25% of their rooms.
The ordinance goes into effect January 2, 2009. Mayor Petelos says that should give Hoover businesses time to make any changes they need.
