{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"The News Journal","provider_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net","title":"Williamsburg Mayor leading package alcohol effort &ndash; The News Journal","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"0R48VGSIOx\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/williamsburg-mayor-leading-package-alcohol-effort\/\">Williamsburg Mayor leading package alcohol effort<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/williamsburg-mayor-leading-package-alcohol-effort\/embed\/#?secret=0R48VGSIOx\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Williamsburg Mayor leading package alcohol effort&#8221; &#8212; The News Journal\" data-secret=\"0R48VGSIOx\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Mayor-Harrison.jpg","thumbnail_width":468,"thumbnail_height":414,"description":"Over the last three months voters in both Barbourville and London have approved packaged alcohol sales and Williamsburg residents will likely be voting on a similar measure this June. Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison said he plans to submit a petition to Whitley County Clerk Kay Schwartz&#8217;s office around March 23 that would allow the sale of packaged alcohol in stores and allow alcohol sales by the drink at restaurants that seat at least 50 people and derive at least 50 percent of their profits from the sale of food. The measure is equivalent to what Corbin currently has, and what London and Barbourville voters recently approved. &#8220;It is all around us. I know the arguments against. I know the arguments for. For me this is a progressive issue that is the bottom line,&#8221; Harrison said. &#8220;It is not the fact of me being about to run downtown and get a six-pack of beer. If I want to get a six-pack of beer I can get in my car and go get it in 10 minutes. I think the biggest issue is it drops the number of seats in restaurants to 50.&#8221; Harrison noted the revitalization of Corbin&#8217;s downtown, which includes several small local restaurants, which sale alcohol. &#8220;I really feel the restaurants that have started up in downtown Corbin are because of the wet vote,&#8221; Harrison said. &#8220;Most of those places are like our places we have downtown that couldn&#8217;t hold 100 people. I think this will open our downtown up for development.&#8221; Harrison said he hopes that if the alcohol vote is successful, then this might lead some local entrepreneurs to start small restaurants in downtown Williamsburg. Harrison said that 156 signatures are needed to place the measure on the ballot for a vote and that he believes he has about 210 valid signatures from people, who reside in the Williamsburg city limits. Harrison said that the special alcohol election can&#8217;t be held 30 days prior or 30 days after the May Primary election, but it must be held no later than 90 days after the filing of the petition. By filing the petition on March 23, Harrison said this would allow for a special election on Tuesday, June 21. Predictions Is Harrison going to make any predictions on restaurants Williamsburg might get if the proposed alcohol referendum is approved? Not this time. &#8220;Nope. I learned my lesson last time,&#8221; he added. &#8220;The only prediction I can give you is if we don&#8217;t move forward we are going nowhere and we are going nowhere fast.&#8221; Six days prior to the 2012 alcohol vote that allowed alcohol to be sold by the drink at restaurants that seat at least 100 people, Harrison told the city council that two separate groups of investors planned to open different franchise restaurants in Williamsburg if voters approved the alcohol referendum. Neither group ever opened a restaurant in Williamsburg leaving many alcohol opponents still asking years later, &#8220;Where are the restaurants?&#8221; &#8220;I know that the first thing people are going to say is that Roddy lied last time because where are those restaurants,&#8221; Harrison said. &#8220;What I said in that council meeting was what I was told over the phone.&#8221; 2012 vote On March 20, 2012, Williamsburg voters approved the sale of alcohol by the drink in restaurants by a vote of 533-519. Since that vote, the city has had only three restaurants that served alcohol, one of which is no longer doing so because of a lack of alcohol sales. In December 2012, Hong Kong Buffet, which was already in town, became the first restaurant in Williamsburg to legally sale alcohol, but by October 2013 it had quit selling alcohol. On Sept. 11, 2014, El Palenque Mexican restaurant, a new restaurant at the time, started serving alcohol. El Dorados Mexican restaurant, which was already in Williamsburg in 2012, received its alcohol license a little over one year ago. Since alcohol sales were first approved in 2012, the city of Williamsburg has collected $3,896.77 in alcohol tax revenue of which $2,711.80 has been generated since July 2015. &#8220;I have talked to a few restaurant owners, who have told me that their alcohol sales haven&#8217;t been through the roof but their business has picked up because they have it,&#8221; Harrison added. Harrison said he isn&#8217;t predicting that Williamsburg will get a chain restaurant if the new alcohol measure is approved, or that employment in town will increase by one person if the alcohol measure is approved. He isn&#8217;t predicting the city will get a huge windfall in additional alcohol tax revenue. &#8220;I really believe with my heart that if we don&#8217;t do anything, I can predict how many jobs we will get. Zero. If you do nothing that is what you should expect, nothing,&#8221; Harrison added. &#8220;I think if we move forward with this at least we will be on a level playing field with other towns.&#8221; Harrison, who is spearheading the petition drive himself, said he has been meeting with a small committee of local residents about the effort, but he declined to name those people because he hadn&#8217;t gotten their permission ahead of time to release their names. Harrison said Monday afternoon that he hadn&#8217;t even formally notified members of the city council yet about the matter, but planned to e-mail them about it so they wouldn&#8217;t be surprised when they read it in the News Journal Wednesday. Recent alcohol votes Over the last three months, two surrounding cities also voted to allow alcohol sales or expanded alcohol sales. During a special election on Dec. 29, 2015, the city of Barbourville voted 498 to 433 in favor of allowing alcohol sales both by the drink in restaurants and by the package in retail stores. In 2012, Barbourville residents voted 591 to 484 against alcohol sales. During a special election on Jan. 26, London voters approved the sale of packaged alcohol by a vote of 1,105 to 771. The city already allowed alcohol sales by [&hellip;]"}