Smoked!

Told you so:

An effort to amend the city's smoking ban was snuffed out before it ever got started.

It's rare for the City Council to not even approve a proposed ordinance for introduction and the discussion stage. The members who voted against the introduction were as much as saying they had their minds already made up. That's fine -- if they really have, then prolonging consideration of the proposal would just be a waste of time.

But there are committees to refer unpleasant ordinances to and ways of disposing of them without too much fuss -- tabling them for "further study," for example. Giving a member's proposal at least an initial hearing would seem to be common courtesy of the type other council members might want displayed toward them at some time. And if some council members aren't worried about getting a reputation for close-mindedness, perhaps they should be.