A city of Toledo employee responsible for enforcing the smoking ban testified yesterday that he was told to file two false reports against area bars for smoking violations that he never saw or believed to exist.

Dave Carleski, an enforcement officer for Toledo’s environmental service division — which is responsible for enforcing the smoking ban — testified in Toledo Municipal Court that he was instructed by his supervisor to file a false complaint against Arnie’s Saloon on Central Avenue and a false citation against Pa-Pa Joe’s Saloon on Monroe Street.

His supervisor, Karen Granata, the city’s chief of air services, who was not in court, later told The Blade she was shocked (Shocked! Shocked I tell you!) to hear of the testimony, attributing some of it to simple miscommunication. The rest, she said, was flatly untrue.

Arnie Elzey, owner of Arnie’s Saloon, said he thinks it certainly does matter that violations be complaint-driven.

“I’ve been targeted because I’m outspoken about the smoking ban,” Mr. Elzey alleged. “It’s frustrating as a business owner to try to survive under these circumstances.”

Source: Toledo Blade Link

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