BRENTWOOD • The Brentwood Board of Aldermen denied American Legion Goff-Moll Post 101 an exemption that would allow cigarettes — and the vets who smoke them — back inside the hall.

If the exemption isn't granted, the post's first vice-president Leo Lang said, the hall's doors could close by April. Aldermen could reconsider the exemption.

"We're losing money fast," said Lang, who attended Monday's board meeting along with a dozen supporters. "People who wanna smoke have just gone somewhere else."

The board voted 4-3, with Alderman Michael Marshall absent. Five votes were needed for approval.

The board passed an ordinance in August restricting smoking to cars, tobacco stores, a small percentage of hotel and motel rooms and private residences.

Lang said the post, at 2721 Collier Avenue, lost more than $3,000 in January, when the ban took effect, as members departed for nearby posts such as Shrewsbury and Richmond Heights, where smoking is allowed.

The ban's impact was obvious Sunday at the post's annual Super Bowl party. Lang said only 15 people, fewer than one-third of last year's audience, watched the game in the now smoke-free environment.