Tisbury agrees to put beer and wine question before voters once again
Whether they view the glass half full or half empty, Tisbury voters agreed to authorize the town selectmen to file a home rule petition to allow beer and wine licensing in restaurants and inns.
The vote, 136-109, occurred at a second annual town meeting session Wednesday evening, April 15.
"I always think public debate is good - it was spirited, for sure - and I think it got a little too personal at times," Tisbury selectman Jeffrey Kristal said this week. "But I'm encouraged that at least there is debate, and that the town will have another whole year of being able to debate this in the proper forum, and ultimately have a larger portion of the voters than showed up at town meeting make a decision in the voting booth."
The home rule petition calls for placing the beer and wine question on the next annual town election ballot in 2010. Only a year ago, the town split 50-50 on a similar ballot question, resulting in a recount that confirmed its defeat by two votes.
A total of 263 voters attended Wednesday, compared with 344 on Tuesday. They managed to wrap up the 25 articles left over from the night before, in a two and a half hour marathon session. Voters agreed to almost every funding request, with the exception of an article to raise and appropriate $1.56 million to start a fund for town employees' other post-employment benefits (OPEB). Selectman Tristan Israel suggested studying the issue more.
Over the two nights, voters approved a $20,267,527 million fiscal year 2010 (FY10) operating budget. The total was reduced on town floor by $20,722, with approval of an amendment from Mr. Israel to trim the water department salary line in keeping with salaries paid to Tisbury's full-time managerial and professional employees.
Although a lengthy discussion ensued about Fire Chief John Schilling's stipend, and two amendments were proposed to decrease it, voters rejected the amendments and approved the fire department's budget as proposed, which showed no increase over FY09. (See related story.)
Voters agreed to appropriate $1.2 million from the unreserved fund balance or so-called "free cash" to balance the budget and reduce the tax rate, plus an additional $188,000 from free cash for several articles. Town finance director Tim McLean said that leaves $51,691 in free cash until the end of FY09 on June 30.
Voters also approved an article to allow the town to borrow $1.85 million, of which $350,000 will fund the design for a connector road project between Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road and State Road. The remainder, $1.5 million, will fund a five-year program to resurface and rebuild about 20 roads and 14 sidewalks, as well as replacing Tisbury School's traffic warning lights and the Park and Ride lighting fixtures, drainage structures, and signs.
Wednesday night's meeting started at 7:05 pm. Under Tisbury's lottery system for determining the order of articles taken up, town moderator Deborah Medders drew the long-awaited article about the beer and wine licensing home rule petition at 9:08 pm, to cheers and applause.
The beer and wine home rule petition almost never left home. Planning board co-chairman Henry Stephenson, one of its signers, initially offered up an amendment to correct the omission of a sentence about serving beer and wine only to patrons seated at a table.
Patrick Phelan argued that the petition should be voted on "as is" or withdrawn, as amending it would change its intent. However, town counsel David Doneski said any warrant article can be amended at town meeting. Voters approved the amendment.
Mr. Kristal, who also signed the petition, offered up an amendment to limit beer and wine licenses to 13 annual and two seasonal, as a way to control licensing. Some voters were concerned, however, that limiting the number would lead to "gamesmanship" among restaurant owners seeking licenses and shut out new business owners. The amendment was defeated.
In emotion-charged debate lasting almost two hours, many voters focused on the pros and cons of alcohol use, rather than the article's purpose, to put the beer and wine question on the ballot.
Cindy Doyle, a member of the Dukes County Health Council Youth Task Force, said while she is concerned to hear that restaurants are struggling, they opened in Tisbury fully aware that they couldn't sell beer and wine.
"I don't think lack of beer and wine is necessarily the problem all these restaurants are having," said Peter Goodale, a member of Tisbury's finance and advisory committee. In reading online reviews of down-Island restaurants, Mr. Goodale said the number one complaint was bad service, and number two, bad food.
A common theme among many who favored the article was that, like it or not, the town's economy depends on tourist dollars, and tourists want beer and wine.
After thanking the community profusely for its support after a fire last July at the Bunch of Grapes bookstore, owner Dawn Braasch reminded everyone, "What allows the Bunch of Grapes to stay open year-round is the fact that visitors come in the summer. We should be doing all we can to attract visitors here - we're not."
"With all due respect," Ms. Braasch added, "I would suggest that you come to the Bunch of Grapes between the hours of 4 to 6 pm on any day - it's the number one asked question, where can I go to have a nice meal and a glass of wine?"
"I don't know many people who will have just one glass of wine," countered Clarence "Tripp" Barnes. "We went through this last year - we said no. This is a dry town, it's always been a dry town, and I hope it stays a dry town."
Some voters, however, questioned Tisbury's definition of "dry." "I don't think you people that are against this have any idea of how much beer and wine is in your town - and there's no control over this," said Anne Bassett.
Peter Cronig, owner of Cronig's Real Estate, pointed out that with Tisbury's current bring-your-own-bottle practice, consumption of all types of alcoholic beverages, not just beer and wine, takes place in the town's restaurants. "The character of this town will not change with the simple exchange of money for beer and wine, but it will help reduce the total alcohol consumption in our town, and that is a good thing," he said.
Mark Lovewell, a Tisbury resident who writes about the town as a Martha's Vineyard Gazette reporter, said he would prefer the selectmen focus on addressing bigger issues and maintaining Vineyard Haven's charm in the years ahead. "You know, we've heard people saying times have changed, and the world has changed, and Vineyard Haven has not - do you know what?" he asked, with his voice rising. "You know, that is an asset to me - that is an asset."
Planning board member Robert Aldrin theorized that Vineyard Haven's parking constraints might prove a built-in deterrent to alcohol consumption.
If it takes an hour to eat a meal in a restaurant, and drinking a glass of wine with it adds another half hour, he reasoned, "We won't have to worry about people running around being drunk in Vineyard Haven, because they won't have time to do it."
After listening to the evening's rhetoric, Alice Robinson got to the crux of the issue. "It is not restaurants that are the problem when it comes to alcohol with our kids - it's our homes," she said.
"To me, however, the biggest issue is that this is a request to put an article to a vote before the entire town," Ms. Robinson added, "And I think that is essential to our democratic process."
"Right about now, I don't know about you, but I'd like to go home and take a drink," said Howard Miller, one of the petition's sponsors, in preface to agreeing with Ms. Robinson's remarks.
With a nod to the opposition, he added, "Yes, Vineyard Haven is unique, but you have to remember the rest of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the rest of the nation, we are a drinking nation - we repealed Prohibition."
Ms. Medders called the question and took a standing vote at 10:57 pm. With the announcement the article passed, about half the crowd stampeded out of the gymnasium.
There was a brief discussion about postponing consideration of some of the remaining nine warrant articles until special town meeting in the fall. But Ms. Medders announced that would not be possible, because several related to questions that will appear on the April 28 ballot.
The voters still present agreed to keep going, and finished up business at 11:28 pm.
