With communities around the state prohibiting public smoking in bars and restaurants, Shorewood may be looking to join the list if they find enough community support.

On Nov.1 the village board held a listening session at the Shorewood Community Center to hear citizens’ concerns about the issue and heard many conflicting opinions.

The village has proposed a smoke-free ordinance that was one time a template for Appleton’s smoke-free ordinance. The ordinance has been presented and discussed by the village board, but they deemed it vital that the community become engaged in this topic which directly affects them as taxpayers.

The gathering began with simple remarks from members of the village board and then the floor was opened to the people. The citizens who attended and participated all agreed that they wanted to be a part of a positive and progressive community, but the room remained divided on the issue of passing this ordinance.

The current law in the Village of Shorewood prohibits smoking in government buildings and vehicles, but the proposed ordinance would take that smoking ban to all public buildings, including bars and restaurants. This did not sit well with several bar and restaurant proprietors who were in attendance,

“I don’t smoke, I never have, but smoking is a part of my business and is connected with the clientele that frequent my establishment,” said Dennis Cox, owner of The Village Pub and Grill. “Passing this ordinance would create an island effect which would leave Shorewood dry, as regular customers would go beyond the boundaries of Shorewood for their entertainment needs,”

Elias Chedid, the proprietor of Harry’s Bar and Grill and the Northshore Bistro, agreed with Cox and said he also believes business will take a tremendous hit if Shorewood is the only community in the area to enact a ban.

“I agree with the want to ban smoking so we can live in a healthier community, but this ordinance must be passed on a county or state level for it to function properly,” Chedid said. “A community this small can not handle the repercussions that will result because of the ordinance. We must take in consideration the livelihood of many citizens in the community before we make such a drastic move.”

On the other side, David Waters, pediatrician and long-time Shorewood resident, said the smoking ban is the right thing for the community.

“I won’t give you statistics, as you probably already know smoking is bad for your health. It’s not positive in any light and is a way of the past,” Waters said. “We need to rid our community of anything that greatly jeopardizes our health,”

A 2002 North Shore Tobacco-Free Coalition survey indicated that 85 percent of Shorewood residents felt policies should be established in public places to protect non-smokers and children from secondhand smoke. But how residents feel now is yet to be determined.

As the debate continues to rage on in the community of barely 14,000, the village board hopes they can soon present the ordinance to be voted on.