Citizens Group to Study Alcohol Initiative

By MAX HART

The Tisbury selectmen this week appointed the first members of an
advisory group that will consider the sale of alcoholic beverages in the
historically dry town, launching the formal exploration of a proposal
that has long been a flashpoint for residents.

At its meeting Tuesday night, the board appointed six residents to
the newly formed beer and wine committee. The committee is charged with
examining the merits of an initiative to allow the limited sale of beer
and wine in restaurants and inns. It will report its findings and
recommendations to selectmen, although there is no set deadline.

Selectmen also said they will continue to accept members on the
committee, which also includes the police chief, the fire chief and the
former chairman of the state Alcohol Beverages Control Commission.

The appointments mark the first time the selectmen have formed a
committee to examine the issue, which business leaders have been
promoting for several years. Restaurant and inn owners in town have
argued that being unable to offer beer and wine puts them at a
disadvantage in attracting patrons. A growing number claim they are
consistently losing business to Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, the only two
towns on the Island that allow the sale of alcohol.

The push to sell alcohol in Vineyard Haven began in December 2004,
when former Tisbury Business Association (TBA) president Jeff Kristal
submitted a draft warrant article to allow the sale of beer and wine in
a limited capacity at restaurants and inns. TBA members hoped it would
be included on the annual town meeting warrant in April.

But the board felt that more time was needed to explore the issue,
and rejected the article.

In September, current TBA president Stephen Perlman asked the board
to form the committee with an eye toward pushing the debate forward and
ultimately landing it on town meeting floor.

In order for Vineyard Haven to become a wet town, voters must
approve a referendum on the town meeting floor; the change also requires
state approval. Among the 350 cities and towns in Massachusetts, 17 are
dry, including four of the six Island towns.

The board has supported the proposal in the past, but always with
strict limitations and conditions.

On Tuesday night, the selectmen reaffirmed their position and
expressed their desire to form an open-minded, bipartisan committee.
With chairman Raymond LaPorte on vacation, board members Tristan Israel
and Thomas Pachico stressed the importance of looking at the issue from
all view points.

Five of the appointees, who spoke before the board on Tuesday,
seemed to meet those requirements.

Jilana Abrams, who owns and operates the Doctor's House, a bed
and breakfast on Mt. Aldworth Road, suggested to selectmen that -
contrary to the view widely held among Tisbury residents - the
sale of alcohol in restaurants would not change the town's
character.

"Cumberland Farms's selling beer and wine would be
really drastic, but we aren't talking about that. I think with
modest, strict regulations it would not hurt the town," she said,
adding she was originally against the idea. "What changed my mind
was how dead the town seems. I think it would bring some life back into
town."

Nancy Hall, who is also a member of the Tisbury historic commission,
disagreed.

"I have lived here quite a while, and I do think it will have
an impact on the town," she said. "I am concerned about
costs to the town, in terms of increased emergency services for police
officers, and I am concerned about the legal aspects. I am leaning
toward being against it, but I could be swayed."

John Coskie and James Morse both said they had no hardened opinions.
Mr. Morse, an Oak Bluffs police officer, said he lives in town and
thought his experience as a liquor license compliance officer as well as
holding a degree in law would give the committee a unique perspective.

Gretchen Snyder, who lives downtown, said she applied for a spot on
the committee because of concerns that beer and wine sales would be only
the beginning.

Bud Raymond, the sixth candidate, did not attend the meeting but was
appointed unanimously along with the other candidates.

Speaking with the Gazette Wednesday, Mrs. Abrams said she decided to
serve on the committee because she feels there no longer can be any
denying that the town is losing business to Edgartown and Oak Bluffs,
especially in the restaurant and hospitality industries.

"We are becoming the third choice for seasonal visitors who
want to stay in one of the three towns," she said. "I have
guests that tell me all the time that they tried to get accommodations
in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs first, but couldn't and ended up in
Vineyard Haven. This town needs a lot of fresh ideas."

She added: "I think what we're talking about really is a
perception, and when people hear they can't order a beer or glass
of wine in town, it paints us in this strange light. That feeling puts a
bug in them, and the people who come here and spend their money want to
be able to order a glass of wine with dinner.

Mrs. Abrams also said she does not think the sale of beer and wine
in restaurants would lead to bars or package stores further down the
road, concluding: "I think the more people hear about it, the more
we discuss it and look into the pros and cons, the more comfortable they
will be with it. I am certainly looking forward to finding out what the
cons are, too."