Smoking would be banned in all enclosed workplaces in Springfield under an ordinance Ward 10 Ald. Bruce Strom said Thursday that he will introduce sometime this summer.

Strom said he is pushing the ordinance and that Ward 8 Ald. Irv Smith will co-sponsor it. Strom said the ordinance has not yet been drafted, but he hopes to introduce it sometime this summer.

"The whole issue has to do with health, the health of employees, the health of patrons and the health of people who are already vulnerable, the very young and the very old, those people who have ongoing health conditions like asthma," Strom said...

The council does not yet have the power to ban smoking, but it will if Gov. Rod Blagojevich signs a bill that would give local governments the power to regulate smoking. The governor has not yet indicated his position.

Strom said his ordinance would be written to go into effect the date the state legislation would take effect, Jan. 1.

The proposal will no doubt be controversial after a spring legislative session that pitted the restaurant and hospitality industry against anti-smoking groups like the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association.