Milledgeville to discuss smoking ban in restaurants

MILLEDGEVILLE - A city councilman has proposed that Milledgeville should be one of the few cities in Georgia that requires restaurants to be smoke-free. <br> <br> Residents will be able to discuss City Councilman Ken Vance&#39;s proposal this month and in December before the city council holds a vote on the ban. <br> <br> ``I&#39;m not against smoking,&#39;&#39; Vance said. ``That&#39;s fine if you want to smoke. I just don&#39;t want to have to breathe it.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Mayor Floyd Griffin organized the series of public meetings on the issue because he said he needs to study the issue. <br> <br> Details of the proposal still must be worked out. Vance said he doesn&#39;t know if the smoking ban in restaurants would include bars. There&#39;s also no decision about what to do with restaurants in this college town that become bars later in the evening. <br> <br> Vance said the proposal has support from residents but the ban is not as well liked among restaurant owners and smokers. A hearing later this month will be held solely for restaurant owners&#39; input. <br> <br> Restaurant owner Frank Pendergast said that he recently has banned smoking on Mondays at The Brick, his restaurant. <br> <br> But Pendergast said he doesn&#39;t want the City Council to be able to tell him he must have a no-smoking establishment. He said he&#39;s concerned about losing businesses to other restaurants in Baldwin County or neighboring cities that would not be affected by the proposed ban. <br> <br> ``I don&#39;t agree with government telling small businesses what they can and can&#39;t do with their own businesses,&#39;&#39; Pendergast said. ``That should be left up to the individual restaurateur whether they want to cater or not cater to smoking.&#39;&#39;