University Park or Bob Jones University? The Booze Controversy.

If I want to fill this wine glass, I have to leave U.P. to do it. And you want to keep it that way?

Parkies are buzzing after receiving a pre-recorded phone message from ex University Park mayor, Roy Coffee.  It seems he’s passionate about the beer and wine propositions on the ballot this November. I didn’t get the call but others tell me  Roy urges residents to vote against (and peeps are paraphrasing here) because it will ruin University Park and it’s only being pushed by the handful of citizens standing to profit.

I’m beginning to feel like I live on the Bob Jones campus. I’m just sayin’.

UPDATE: Listen to Roy’s mission below.

By Merritt Patterson Oct. 18, 2010 | 10:41 am | 16 Comments | Comments RSS
16 comments to "University Park or Bob Jones University? The Booze Controversy."
  1. UP Resident @ October 18, 2010 at 1:21 pm
    First a hotly contested City Council race and now this, UP politics are finally getting some life! I might actually go vote.

  2. jb @ October 18, 2010 at 1:30 pm
    well heck, Mr. Former Mayor Coffee, G@d forbid that anyone in University Park achieves a financial gain… by the way, are you some kinda socialist or big government central planner or something like that?

  3. James Tucker @ October 18, 2010 at 3:14 pm
    Did the pro-beer/wine sales petitioners think that this issue would go quietly to the ballot box?

  4. Neal @ October 18, 2010 at 3:38 pm
    Wow, Roy Coffee? I haven’t heard that name since maybe 1980. Looks like the “Vote No” folks are bringing out their big guns!

  5. Confused @ October 18, 2010 at 3:59 pm
    Could someone please explain these two propositions? What, precisely, are we voting for when we vote yes or no to these propositions? Thanks.

  6. tb @ October 18, 2010 at 4:59 pm
    Proposition 1: A “yes” vote means you are in favor of allowing grocery and convenience stores to sell beer and wine (with the proper permits). Currently, those sales are illegal in U.P. This will not affect sale of hard liquor, which still will be prohibited.

    Proposition 2: A “yes” vote means you are in favor of allowing restaurants that have the proper permits to sell adults beer, wine, and mixed drinks without you having to join a “club” operated by the restaurant.
    __________________________

    I’m in favor of both propositions and will vote for them.

    Still, I can understand why some folks would be opposed to proposition no. 1.

    But I cannot understand why anyone would oppose proposition no. 2. The sham club requirement has no effect on actual consumption of alcohol in restaurants and simply imposes unnecessary costs and administrative headaches on restaurant owners and patrons.

  7. Max Fuqua @ October 18, 2010 at 6:49 pm
    Robo calls in the middle of the Cowboy game? Sounds kinda desperate to me.

    tb has it right. Prop 1 keeps beer and wine in grocery and convenience stores. No liquor stores allowed. Prop 2 allows individual mixed drinks, beer and wine only in restaurants that derive over 50% of their sales from food, have a full kitchen and keep at least 8 entrees on the menu at all times. That means no bars, lounges or nightclubs.

    What the opposition does not want you to know is that the archaic private club rules we have now are designed to be flexible. They allow liquor, beer and wine to be served with very little food service at all. Anyone can open a bar, lounge or night club right now in UP, serve whiskey all day long and offer only popcorn for food. Plus a private club can obtain a package permit and sell bottles of booze to their members. Houstons currently has both a private club and a package permit. So thanks to private club rules in UP, you could get loaded in the bar, then order a bottle for the road from the waiter. Does that sound safe to you? Exactly what is Roy Coffee protecting?

    Good news is, UP citizens know the truth. Election officials reported that over 1100 people voted today at Our Redeemer church on Park Lane. Our team at the polling place reports the overwhelming majority that they spoke to voted for Propositions 1 & 2. It’s time to update our laws folks, so get out there and vote FOR the propositions!

  8. Confused (still) @ October 18, 2010 at 11:37 pm
    1125 votes were cast today at Our Redeemer, to be precise.

    Re the propositions, sorry to be so dense, but I’m still confused. The Centennial on Preston at NW Hway sells liquor (isn’t this UP?). (As an aside, robo calls in the middle of the Cowboys game sound futile to me, not desperate).

    @ TB and Max Fuqua: Thanks for your patience. I should have asked this question instead: “how will the passing of these propositions change our current laws?”

    Are you saying that if Prop 1 passes, existing and prospective liquor stores would be outlawed in UP?

    And @Max Fuqua, are you saying that if Prop 2 passes, bars that don’t sell enough food will lose their liquor licenses?

    Don’t UP and HP keep a portion of the taxes collected from these places? If so, I’d rather keep the revenue here rather than send folks driving into the city of Dallas.

    As for people ordering bottles of wine or liquor “to go” from a restaurant, I’ve never seen that happen. Ever. It doesn’t make economical sense.

  9. Max Fuqua @ October 19, 2010 at 5:48 am
    Confused- Centennial on Preston is in Dallas, there are no liquor stores in UP and there will continue to be none when Prop 1 passes. When Prop 2 passes UP restaurants will have an alternative permit to apply for, one that requires they operate as real restaurants, so yes if they do not sell enough food they could lose their permit. Yes, our taxes are going to HP and Dallas and yes you are right, our current laws that allow “to go” from a restaurant make no economical sense. It’s time to change them.

  10. Steve @ October 19, 2010 at 1:03 pm
    There are plenty of places to get wine and beer in the Park Cities. Tom Thumb on NW Hwy, HP Village and at Lovers/Greenville. Then you can get the hard stuff at Centennial in Preston Center or HPV and you can get drinks at all the “Dallas” places like Preston Center and HPV. We don’t need all the places bordering SMU to be this way too.

  11. Mr. Commentor @ October 19, 2010 at 6:13 pm
    Has anyone checked to see if the folks at the Preston Center Centennial are involved in this election? Perhaps they are the ones paying for Mayor Coffee’s auto-dialer. Seems they have the most to lose if there’s more competition in the neighborhood.

  12. Max Fuqua @ October 19, 2010 at 7:26 pm
    1151 people voted at Our Redeemer church on Park Lane today. Dallasites and Parkies, Democrats and Republicans alike, when they saw our signs they all smiled and gave a big thumbs up! Except for a couple of fuddy duddies who shook their heads and walked quickly away. Vote FOR the propositions people, help bring our laws into the 21st century!

  13. grump @ October 19, 2010 at 9:56 pm
    Max,
    I’ll vote YES for both props for a nice single malt Scotch(preferrably Macallan) for me and a couple of yogurts for my kids.
    Who am I kidding? I’ll vote yes for yogurt for me and scotch for the kids.

  14. laurie @ October 20, 2010 at 12:33 pm
    @Steve, you comments make the case for the proposition. All the places you mentioned are outside of UP. Very close by, but not in our town. One of the reasons why I support this is because HP Village sells beer and wine, and it hasn’t led to any kinds of problems. If we could pick up beer and wine at the Tom Thumb in Snider Plaza, it would be very convenient for those of us who live near that store, and the city would receive the tax dollars from the sale.

    I also support the idea that the restaurants could do away with the silly “memberships.” All over the world, people walk into restaurants, including Mi Cocina in Highland Park Village, and order a glass of wine without anyone taking down their names and addresses. Why is it so scary to let restaurants do that in UP?

  15. Cc @ October 20, 2010 at 10:39 pm
    Let’s get rid of government restrictions on small business. As a university park resident, why shouldn’t we get the taxes for booze sales instead of Dallas and highland park? Our mayor calls himself a republican bur wants to restrict commerce and free enterprise? Sounds like a liberal to me.

  16. ej @ October 21, 2010 at 2:04 pm
    There are no beer, wine, or liquor retailers in the Park Cities. Dream on, those of you who don’t know better. Further, there are no legal retail beer, wine, or liquor-by-the drink sales at restaurants in the Park Cities. Such sales are only permitted for “private clubs” and allow mostly illegal behavior to be carried out at peril by establishments pretending to comply with a really bad law by using on or another of the shadowy card systems.

    The beneficiaries of this ridiculous fiat aren’t truth, beauty, and the American (family) way. That status is reserved to beverage distributors who don’t have to expand services and routes, not-for-profits whose paid mouthpieces get to flog alcohol sales to convince you to fork over money, oh, and all the ad and marketing parasites who keep those folks in the green.

    Want your underage kid more exposed when he/she buys and drinks illegally? Vote “NO” and support arrogance.

    Want your city to collect less sales tax? Vote “NO” and help Ben E. Keith’s profit structure.

    Want to keep your favorite restaurant dancing to the whims of ABC agents? Vote “NO” and support bureaucrats.

    Want a drink (be honest, now)? Vote “YES”.

    You can educate ignorance, but not stupid or arrogant.

    ej
    strategym

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