LETTERS: LIQUOR LICENSES GET RUBBER STAMP

To the editor:

Last week the Cape Girardeau City Council considered a request for a license to sell small flasks of liquor at the service station at the corner of Broadway and Frederick. Liquor has never been sold at this location. I am a businesswoman who lives with my family and operates a bed-and-breakfast directly across Broadway from the service station. I appeared before the council to protest the licensing request. I also own Annie Laurie's Antiques directly across Frederick Street from the service station. After giving my views on the matter, I read four letters of protest from neighboring property owners, including Shivelbine's Music, Nowell's Camera, Robertson's Photography and the Jerry and Rose Williams family. I stated there were two churches in the neighborhood. One, Trinity Lutheran Church, is approximately 200 feet from the service station.

I made two strong points: The council has discretionary authority to grant liquor licenses, and the neighborhood doesn't want a liquor store in its midst. The neighbors are concerned about loitering, littering, property damage, disruption of the peace and the image of the neighborhood. Understand that I'm not talking about a cheerful little convenience store selling milk, bread and candy. I'm talking about a tiny little gas station attendant's building that barely has room for a cash register.

But the council, at Mayor Al Spradling's urging, immediately took the approach that if the legal requirements for a liquor license are met, then it must be granted. Indeed, despite the wishes of neighboring property owners, the license was granted. Mr. Spradling argued that since there was an existing bar on the block, what did it matter if there was a liquor store?

One must wonder why the council even bothers itself with liquor licenses. After all, the council doesn't concern itself with business licenses, building permits, burning permit and many other matters which impact the quality of life in Cape Girardeau. The council turns such matters over to the city bureaucrats who simply check the applications for compliance and then grant or deny them accordingly.

Why does the council bother itself with liquor applications if, in reality, it has no power to deny them? Why have a hearing? If, as according to Mayor Spradling, liquor licenses must be granted so long as they meet legal requirements, isn't it pointless to have any discussion?

The fact is the council does have discretionary power, or at least has the power to give itself discretionary power. If we are going to shape this city into something we are proud of, it will take legislative courage, not a rubber-stamp policy.

While we are speaking of policy, why do we have a ward system? This controversy occurred in the downtown ward represented by Councilman Tom Neumeyer. Yet none of the councilmen turned to Mr. Neumeyer for direction or advice. One would assume that Mr. Neumeyer is intimately familiar with the needs and problems of his ward and the city patrons he represents. Yet not a single councilman asked Mr. Neumeyer how he would like to proceed. That's not how things are done at the state and federal level, and that's not how they should be done in Cape Girardeau. When the ward system was introduced, we were promised a higher level of representation.

The city founders understood that liquor sales and consumption are hot social topics that should only be handled at the council level rather than at the bureaucratic level. They enacted ordinances giving themselves discretionary power to grant or decline liquor licenses according to what they perceive is best for the community and the neighborhood. Common sense told them it was best not to sell liquor near churches or schools. If they were alive today, they would probably feel the same way about bed-and-breakfasts and family homes. And they probably would listen attentively to the voices of the neighborhood.

MARY ROBERTSON

Cape Girardeau, Mo.