Smoking bans start with opposition at vets clubs

Opponents of last weekend's smoking ban at the VFW are gearing up to fight it, but, if indications from other veterans' clubs in the area are any indication, the change might be inevitable. "If [Commander Ron Proulx] had notified the members they'd be voting on smoking, the vote would have been 50-3 [against the change]," said VFW Junior Vice President Mark Provencal.

"... We went into the meeting and all of a sudden the new business was smoking. But nobody knew it from last meeting." Provencal is referring to the most recent meeting of the organization's board of directors, which voted about two weeks ago to eliminate smoking in the Cohasse Street facility starting Sept. 1. Provencal said the vote was 3-2; fellow vice-president Ben Bousquet said Sunday it was 4-3.