A penny for your thoughts, a nickel for your troubles and a quarter for your beer — or maybe not.

The Ames City Council, after hammering a broad proposal into an ordinance banning only unlimited drink specials last March, may again be confronted with the question of quarter drinks and penny pitchers at bars.

George Belitsos, member of the Story County Prevention Policy Board, asked candidates for the city council if they would support expanding the drink special ban to restrict penny pitchers and quarter drinks at a forum Monday.

Belitsos said the board is working to “de-glamorize” drinking and end binge drinking entirely.

“We were disappointed that the more broad restrictions were not adopted, and we said we would be back,” he said.

Councilman Riad Mahayni, who is running for re-election to the fourth ward seat, said he would support the ordinance.

Mahayni said stories he has heard from Mary Greeley Medical Center and others are “scary.”

“Apparently, the ordinance we have now is not working,” Mahayni said. “This is a very serious problem.”

Ames needs to work on the issue of binge drinking on many fronts, including education campaigns, he said.

“It is not only passing ordinances, it is an education campaign of the dangers involved in such issues,” Mahayni said.

Not all candidates were as supportive as Mahayni of further restricting bars in Ames.

Nathan Johnston, ex officio student member of the City Council and at-large seat candidate, said bans on drink specials push people away from controlled places like bars to other areas with less supervision.

“It’s not really addressing the problem they say it’s addressing,” Johnston said. “They’re just pushing people away to a more dangerous situation … it’s foolish.

Mahayni disagrees.

There is no way for bartenders to pay attention to every individual in the bar, he said. “We need ordinances like this for the very few who misuse [alcohol],” he said.

Bars use drink specials as marketing tools to help business, Johnston said.

“Those are specials to get you in the door.

“If we try to take away their marketing tool, they’re just going to come up with new ones,” he said.

The council made clear how much they would ban with drinking specials when they cut down the broader version, Johnston said.

“I don’t think the ordinance is going to go any further than what it is right now,” he said.