The Ellis County Press: Councilman speaks out against beer and wine election

Councilman speaks out against beer and wine election
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Megan Gray on 10/14/2010 12:03:00


LANCASTER - The local option election for the sale of off-site consumption for
Beer and Wine isn’t setting well with District 5 Councilman Clyde Hairston.
During the Monday, Oct. 11 council meeting, Hairston requested to speak as a
citizen during citizen comments.
"My wife and I decided to move here 21 years ago because Lancaster was dry,"
said Hairston.
"Now I am hearing talks of beer taverns, lounges and S.O.B.s - Sexually Oriented
Businesses."
Hairston claims the city will turn into areas of South Dallas.
"If you want to see what happens when you allow the sale of alcohol into the
city, just go down Martin Luther King Boulevard and some of the other
neighborhoods in South Dallas."
A Political Action Committee, It’s About OUR Business, has formed in support
of the proposition with vote "For" signs popping up in yards all across the
city.
"If we want to see Lancaster maximize economic resources and operate with the
same competitive advantages as our neighboring cities, we need to support the
proposition to allow the off-premise sale of beer and wine as a united effort to
move Lancaster forward," stated the committee via e-mail for request to comment.
Cities across the southern parts of Dallas County, including Wilmer, DeSoto and
Hutchins have already made the move and voted "for."
As recently as this past May, neighboring Ellis County city, Red Oak, passed the
same local option election Lancaster has proposed on their ballot.
Early voting is Oct. 25-29 and election day is Tuesday, Nov. 2.