-
Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante
An emotionally charged meeting of the Hartwell City Council on Monday resulted in a 4-3 vote by the council to not allow liquor stores to reach the ballot for possible consideration by voters.
The Hartwell City Hall was packed with people mostly interested in the vote regarding liquor stores and whether the issue would make the ballots this fall.
The council voted to a 3-3 tie with Patrick Guarnella, Tony Hanie and Stephen Ayers voting not to allow liquor stores on the ballot and Dan Leard, Mike MacNabb and Tray Hicks voting in favor of putting it on the ballot. The tie was broken by Mayor Brandon Johnson, who voted no, causing the motion to fail.
“Last meeting, we had a group come forward to the City Council and basically petition a request for the city council to consider putting liquor stores on the ballot for November,” Johnson said. “Technically the request would be to work on an ordinance that would be then presented to the city council and then that ordinance would be put on the ballot for November.”
Johnson reminded those in attendance of the petitioners’ reasoning.
“Essentially, for the group that came forward, the argument was ‘we’re already drinking, we’re already buying it, we’re already driving to go get it. Why not have a store here collecting tax revenue?’” Johnson said. “Then we had several folks speaking in opposition.”
Johnson said that of the calls and input he received since the meeting, they were “overwhelmingly” more in opposition of liquor stores than in favor of the stores being allowed.
“That’s not always the litmus test, but I did want to make that statement that I did hear from a number of people,” he said.
Johnson then turned the floor over for public comment, starting first with Hart County’s District 1 Commissioner, Michael Bennett, who spoke in opposition of having liquor stores on the ballot.
“My biggest heartburn with this is with our teenagers,” Bennett told the room. “You’re promoting teenage alcoholism when you make it convenient right here in the city of Hartwell….The youth of our town is going to be the foundation that we have to lean toward in the future and we need to do everything we can to protect that and those children.”
Johnson then gave an opportunity for anyone to come up in favor of putting liquor stores on the ballot, however no one moved. He then turned the floor back over for public comment speaking against adding liquor stores to the ballot. Resident Cynthia Wilkins then gave an emotional response regarding experiences with alcohol that have hurt her family, including the loss of her brother.
“March 28, 1995, my brother died driving down Flat Rock Road,” she said. “The next time I saw him was at the funeral home and his little three-year-old girl, she didn’t know anything and said ‘tell my daddy to get up and come home to my mama’s house.”
She also said that she felt adding entertainment venues like a movie theater would be more beneficial to the youth of the community than adding liquor stores.
“We really don’t have anything for them,” she said. “...That would add more to our community than liquor would.”
From there, the council members each gave their statements on the issue. Councilmember Tray Hicks spoke first.
“One of the facts about my life that a lot of people don’t know is I have a 20-year chip from Alcoholics Anonymous,” Hicks said. “I was that teenager here. I grew up and I had a drinking problem. At 14-years-old I was institutionalized for alcoholism….I very well understand the fears and reality of alcohol. Some of the things that I’ve had to look at in this office is taking my personal feelings and setting them aside and looking at facts….I believe in you. The people in this city elected me. All I am doing in this vote is allowing you to guide me as to what you want. If you do not want liquor stores here then I highly recommend that you go and vote against it.”
Hicks ended his statement by making the motion to add package stores to the ballot and have an ordinance prepared.
Councilmember Mike MacNabb then seconded the motion, before adding his reasoning.
“I got comments both ways and it’s been about 50-50,” MacNabb said. “I have close friends on both sides of the issue. I’ve struggled with this just like everybody else, but the only solution I know to be fair to everybody, to give everybody a voice, is to put it on the ballot and that’s what I’ll vote for tonight.”
Councilmember Patrick Guarnella was the first member of the council to oppose adding a potential liquor store ordinance to the ballot.
“I do believe that I was elected to represent the people who supported me and in doing so, I’ve tried to use my own personal convictions and experiences in life and use this platform as a way to point my gratitude back toward my Lord and Savior who pulled me out of the depths of addiction,” Guarnella said. “...I have 10 years of sobriety from drugs and alcohol….I can’t imagine that the Lord would want me to return his favor by voting to allow for something like this to be put on the ballot.”
Next, Tony Haynie, who was not present at the meeting but was attending via phone gave his statement.
“I think this is probably one of the most difficult votes, but it’s one of the most important I’ve had to make,” Haynie said. “We are elected to represent our constituents on things. We can vote to put it on the ballot, but there’s a lot of people that can’t vote that are going to be affected by this….It’s not going to bring good to Hartwell.”
Johnson said that as mayor, he was not to vote unless the vote comes to a tie.
“My job as mayor is to steer the ship and land the plane most of the time,” he said. “...
Councilmember Dan Leard said that he felt whatever decision came forward should be final.
“Regardless of the outcome tonight, whether it gets on or stays off, there’s your answer,” he said. “Meaning if it gets on there, fine. The people will vote and if it’s no, stop bringing it up. The people have spoken….When it comes down to it, the answer that comes here, whether it’s a yes or a no, there’s no sense in coming back like a kid 20 minutes later saying ‘can I have my cookie now.’ It’s been done. It’s been discussed. We heard you. I think we all have passionate opinions and thoughts about this….If it gets on the ballot and you’re against it, rally the troops and get out there and vote. And if you’re for it, same message.”
Stephen Ayers referenced a scene from the 1982 film The Wrath of Khan from the Star Trek series saying “the needs of the many outweigh the wants of the few.”
“Balancing needs versus wants is an inexact science, which makes this job so hard,” Ayers said. “This is the hardest vote I’ve had to deal with in four years.”
With all of the councilmembers having given their thoughts, Johnson added his to the equation, noting that he’d only cast a vote in order to break a tie.
“I said it last time that if it’s 3-3 then I’m voting it down and I will unapologetically vote ‘No’ to putting it on the ballot,” he said. “I just believe my Christian faith tells me not to….This is not the cash cow or holy grail for Hartwell and those that came last time as much as admitted that.”
Once the vote was taken and the mayor announced it did not pass, the room burst into applause before many left the meeting all together.
Johnson added that the vote should not divide anyone in the community.
“Please understand, approve or disapprove, we’re still friends,” he said. “We can still move forward. Hartwell is the greatest place on earth and it can continue to be whether we have these establishments or not.”