To the delight of some restaurant owners, smoking now will be permitted in restaurants with bars once they have stopped serving food.
People like to smoke and drink at the same time.
City Councilors voted unanimously yesterday in favor of the third and final reading of the amendment to the smoking ordinance, which went into effect Feb. 15. The law bans smoking in most public places except bars which are not part of restaurants. Councilors George Bitzas, Dennis J. Perry and Jill P. Simpson did not attend yesterday's meeting. Last month, Simpson and Bitzas cast the two opposing votes against the second reading of the same amendment. Simpson previously has said she is opposed to the amendment mainly because the ordinance was recently adopted after a lengthy review process.