July 19, 2006
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Joseph Gillis Jr.
You can do something!
Last night, a hearing was held by the Bridgewater Board of Selectmen to receive testimony from concerned parties relative to a proposal to change the closing hours of 16 establishments with liquor licenses. The 90-minute session began with testimony from Bridgewater Fire & Police, as well as several members of Bridgewater State College - all speaking in favor of the across-the-board rollback of closing time. Several individuals then spoke against the proposal to curtail the hours of operation of establishments.
[Taunton Gazette, 7/19/2006, Closing time at stake in debate over deaths, By GERRY TUOTI Staff Writer]
in part...
Joe Gillis Jr., a member of the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School Committee, said he was concerned the selectmen would rush to judgment.
"If you want to go case by case, I support that," he said. "We should not make a decision across the board based on what happened at one of these 16 establishments."
To be clear, there were two unfortunate incidents that resulted in the deaths of two young adults. However, as was also stated again by Maureen Waters of Julio's, the alleged drunk driver (still awaiting trial) who killed Jacqueline Nilsson could have run over the curb and into a crowd anywhere. Therefore, I do not include this incident when discussing problems with establishments. The death earlier this year outside Our Place Saloon is the concern to me.
Further, I am pleased that the Bridgewater Board of Selectmen have dealt with this issue - see my July 12th story. They held a hearing, listened to evidence, and rendered a decision.
My concern is that a problem related to one license holder, which has already been addressed, may effect fifteen other businesses in Bridgewater as a group action; namely an across-the-board decision without providing to each license-holder an opportunity to make their case and be ruled on their own merits. Perhaps some establishments should have a license modification to 1am. Conversely, there are establishments that have been good partners with the Town, and have not had the same type of problems, and thus should be allowed to continue to operate with their current 2am license.
I would support a decision by the Bridgewater Board of Selectmen to hold individual hearings for establishments to decide this important community issue. Deliberate thought and research over the past six months brought the Board to a decision on Our Place. One week and 90 minutes of discussion is not sufficient to decide on the appropriate action to be taken on fifteen other businesses.
To answer a question that was asked of me last night - No, I am not a bar owner, nor do I have any connection to any license-holders. I am friends with Mike Barrett and Castaways from our work together a couple years ago when he was also a Committee member of the Bridgewater 4th of July, and I see him in Castaways regularly as the Committee continues to meet in his restaurant. For that matter, I see Ron Emma at Emma's, and I suppose other owners as I have been in other town establishments.
