LaFayette City Council decided this week to put a liquor-by-the-drink vote on the November ballot.
LaFayette resident Wayne Winters has been a strong advocate in getting the sale of beer and wine legalized in LaFayette. He has been attending council meetings and voicing his opinion on the matter.
The decision to include the liquor vote on the ballot came during the councils Monday, May 11, meeting. The decision passed by a 4-1 margin, with council member Wayne Swanson casting the lone no.
Winters was joined at Mondays council meeting by Miguel Santiago, owner of Yan Yesica and Janiria Restaurant. Santiago stressed that his business has suffered from having to turn away patrons who want alcohol with their meal.
Santiago said the sale of beer and wine would not affect the employment of minors, because employees under age 21 would not be handling or serving alcohol.
We are not supposed to serve more than three beers. Ninety percent of the people do not drink more than two, he said.
They walk in and they ask if I serve beer and I say no and then they just turn around and walk away, Santiago said.
Council member Eric Tallent said he wanted to put matter before voters in the November election. But it must be for the sale of liquor by the drink, not the sale of beer and wine, he said.
I feel I represent not only the people that dont want it, but the ones that do want it. The straw poll, of course, cant be done by public or city funds, so the only thing that can be on a referendum is liquor by the drink, Tallent said.
Winters said that to put the burden of a straw poll on an individual citizen does not seem right, when the council has the ability to move forward with the vote.
Tallent responded, saying that if the council approved it and 75 percent of citizens did not want it, he would not feel that he represented the majority of the people that elected him, but the referendum being placed upon the November ballot for liquor by the drink.
Council members agreed in a 4-1 vote that the decision should be left to voters.
Council members position
Council member Andy Arnold on Tuesday said he is not for liquor-by-the-drink sales, but said he supports putting the issue in voters hands.
I dont think that it is ever bad for the citizens of LaFayette to vote on an issue like that, Arnold said.
According to Arnold, by state law there can only be a straw poll for beer and wine sales. A straw poll cannot be in the form of a referendum to the people, but must be handled by an independent group.
If a group of people get together, that is for the sale of beer and wine at restaurants. That group of people can form an organization and they can sponsor the straw poll, Arnold said. There is no string attached to any of the city governing bodies to do what the straw poll said and I think most of us would do that. With the referendum that Eric brought up (Monday night), it is a vote on the sale of liquor by the drink, which is obviously one step stronger than beer and wine, in my opinion. But that is a referendum that the people can vote on and I dont have any problems with the people voting on that issue. That doesnt mean that I am for it or against it. . Lets let the people decide, Arnold said.
According to Arnold, the council was given a list of restaurants in town that gave their say on the matter; eight restaurants said they were for alcohol sales in restaurants.
I think that it is going to make for an interesting election in November, Arnold said.
Advocates position
I think a little progress was made when Eric Tallent said that he would put it on a referendum for the November election for liquor by the drink, Winters said after Monday nights council meeting. But that is not what the restaurant owners in town requested. They want beer and wine. As he (Tallent) stated, there are eight restaurants that would like to have a beer and wine license. But they (the council members) still refuse to vote on it. It is too controversial and that I wasnt happy about. Putting a straw poll on an individual citizen, I dont think that is fair and it is non-binding even if they get a 51-49 vote.
According to Winters, surrounding communities sell alcohol by the drink and there is no reason for LaFayette to lag behind and loose revenue.
Prior to the meeting, Winters said, It is a matter of choice. If you go into a restaurant that serves alcoholic beverages and you dont want an alcoholic beverage, then dont buy one. . You are not going to get an OCharleys in town until they vote yes on distilled spirits, in which they havent. It is hurting the economy of LaFayette not to have it. . We are losing a lot of tax revenue, sending it to Catoosa County.
Link:
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