It's long been assumed that Champaign and Urbana would not pass conflicting ordinances regarding smoking in public places. The thinking was that neither city council would want to put bars and restaurants in their city at a competitive disadvantage with those on the other side of Wright Street.

But now it's possible that Bloomington and Normal might take opposing stands on smoking bans. That would make for an intriguing case study about the effect of no-smoking laws on businesses in neighboring cities. The Normal City Council unanimously approved a smoking ban on indoor public places, including bars and restaurants. The Bloomington City Council is expected to take up the same issue on Monday, even though in an earlier discussion only one of the nine council members supported a smoking ban.

Should the two cities choose to have dissenting ordinances, might it open the door to a similar situation in Champaign-Urbana? The Urbana City Council has indicated a willingness to enact a ban on smoking in public places, but only if the Champaign council does the same. But with Normal choosing to act without the promise of a similar law in Bloomington, Urbana council members might be tempted to do the same.

The result might be not only differing laws on smoking in bars and restaurants, but also a unique opportunity for customers to vote with their wallets and purses.

If claims by the C-U Smokefree Alliance are true, the city that enacts a smoking ban would be the winner. The anti-smoking group says its 2004 survey of Champaign-Urbana residents found that 76 percent of those surveyed supported restrictions on where people should be allowed to smoke, and that 51 percent said they are more likely to dine out at a smoke-free restaurant while only 5 percent are less likely to go out to a smoke-free restaurant. The bar and restaurant industry offers conflicting data.

Bar and restaurant owners in Champaign-Urbana might not like it, but varying smoking ordinances in Champaign and Urbana would make for an interesting social – and economic – study. Given time, it might answer many questions for local city councils.