 Smith was elected alderman in 1983 after he ran unsuccessfully in 1972, 1976, 1979 and 1980.In that 1983 election, running alongside Harold Washington, he ran a progressive campaign publicly committed to smashing the old system of patronage and corruption within Chicago.As alderman, Smith was the main sponsor of Chicago's Smoking Ban, passed in 2005 by a vote of 47-1.