 Tue, May 13, 2008 08:37 PM
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2008-03-13  TOP STORIES | Possible Sunday alcohol sales receive mixed local reaction in Forsyth
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| | by Meg Donahue | |  |
March 24, 2008
FORSYTH COUNTY - A proposed bill allowing the Sunday sale of alcohol has received mixed reaction from some local business owners.
The situation began when State Senator Renee Unterman of the 45th district introduced a bill into the Georgia General Assembly to allow Sunday sales of beer in the new minor league baseball stadium in Gwinnett County.
After clearing the Senate, the House added wording to the bill that would allow each county in Georgia the right to a referendum on the Sunday sales of beer and wine; or beer, wine and liquor. The bill is currently in the House Rules Committee.
If the amended bill passes the House, it will have to go back to the Senate to be voted on and then it goes on to Gov. Perdue to either sign or veto.
The possibility of Sunday sales excited some Forsyth business owners, but angered others with some seeing the sale of beer and wine being completely different from the sale of beer, wine and liquor.
"On Sunday, especially in the summer, people need a cold beer," said Jay Ahn, owner of the Lake Food Market, "but liquor? No. I see beer as more of a regular drink."
Some Forsyth citizens who work in the alcohol business are completely opposed to the measure.
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"It's nice to have Sundays off," said Hunter Wehunter, owner of Wilkes Bottle Shoppe. "It's the Sabbath and I like to keep it holy. [If the measure passes] I don't know what I'd do."
Tim Bellinger, manager of World Beverage, said he was against Sunday sales.
"We don't want Sunday sales. People have six days a week [to buy alcohol] it is not necessary to have package sales if you can go to a restaurant on Sunday and get a glass of beer or wine."
Cumming Police Chief Mike Eason said he was pleased with the status quo.
"I think we are in good shape as we are," he said. "When you make alcohol available you will get alcohol related injuries."
Where some business owners see problems with the bill, others see economic opportunity.
Tappan Rathore, owner of the Citgo at Cumming Square said the proposed bill was a positive thing.
"I think [Sunday Sales] would be a good thing," Rathore said. "We get a lot of out-of-town customers who want to buy on Sundays so it would be helpful for us if we could sell it."
Manager of the Circle M 38, Nicole Holfey was also supporting Sunday sales.
"Selling beer would be great on Sunday," Holfey said. "It would increase our sales but not so much that we would have to increase staff."
Georgia is one of only three states, the others being Indiana and Connecticut, that still have 'Blue Laws' on the books. Currently the Georgia General Assembly has six more legislative days before they dismiss until next January.
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This bill needs to pass.
March 26, 2008 | 06:59 PM
On its own, the attachment to SB 454 does not legalize the package sale of a single container of alcohol on Sundays in this State. It merely gives local governments which already have legal package sales of alcohol the option of adding a referendum to their local ballot allowing citizens to vote on extending these sales to Sundays starting at 12:00 noon.
Any alcohol merchants in a community where Sunday sales were to pass would not be required to open on Sunday....that's their choice. Likewise, nobody who doesn't wish to sell or purchase alcohol on Sundays for reasons of faith would not be required to do so
Mr. Bellinger, people also have "six days a week" to buy food, if I'm not mistaken. Folks can also "go to a restaurant on Sunday" and get a meal...yet I don't hear anyone proposing we go even farther back into the past and bring back the blue laws keeping ALL stores closed on Sundays.
And, does it really make any sense from a public safety standpoint to tell folks that they can't go buy a six-pack of beer or a 750ml bottle of liquor on Sunday to take home and enjoy, but they can go to a bar or restaurant...drink there...then get in their car and drive home AFTER drinking?
I would welcome other comments, but the vast majority of opposition to this bill seems to come from either those who have an economic interest in its defeat or those who wish to impose their moral or religious convictions as they relate to Sunday alcohol sales on their fellow citizens (even the ones in other cities/counties) via the rule of law.
Neither are valid or proper arguments for not allowing local governments from addressing this issue as they each see fit.
John Vestal, Cumming
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