An alternative perspective on the sales of

alcohol in

Clinton County

To the Editor,

I am a citizen of Albany in Clinton County, Ky. and have lived here for many years. I was a business woman most of a my life since 1982, that included federal and state regulations, seminars, training and the education and effects of drugs and alcohol. I only bring this up to show my many years of not only business ownership and education in those regulations and substances, but to establish an educated point of view on the reason I felt compelled to write this editorial. Also, I agree with Mr. Jim Soma on giving the people another point of view on this issue from someone who has lived the majority of their life in areas that serving or selling alcohol is as common as any other retail business.

I have come to love Clinton County and Albany, with its small town acquaintances between two gorgeous lakes and beautiful rolling mountains, and because of that, I want to share it with other people who would come to enjoy our resources, but at this time, spend their money in neighboring states and communities that sell or serve alcohol instead of our community benefiting from those sales. In doing so, it would also increase revenues to the local businesses in our area. In my opinion, the ONLY reason we don’t have more visitors to this area is because of our limited business and entertainment establishments and that we don’t have the same advantages of other resort areas around the country. To attract people to a resort area, a community needs to provide them with the shopping, restaurants, and entertainment they are use to in other parts of the country. We just do not have those things here because we are still operating our community under the restraints of a no alcohol policy. And there in, is the very reason I have felt the need to share my experiences of living in areas that do have alcohol sales, to at least give the people of Clinton County a different perspective on the alcohol or no alcohol controversy, to increase revenues to this community, to share the beauty of our county with others who would come to this area and to still offer them that small town quaintness that they cannot get in a big city.

YES, we can keep that small town flavor just as Nashville, Indiana in Brown County or Galena, Illinois, both of which attract tourism for their historic qualities and surrounding beauty. Just to name two for example purposes. Both of which thrive with tourists to their area but still remain “small towns” with the friendliness and warmth of its people and businesses. The people who spend their money in our community can share in its beauty as well, whether they’re having a delicious dinner with a glass of fine wine in a quaint restaurant, a cold beer with pizza at a local sports bar, or just relaxing with a drink at the sidewalk cafe while enjoying conversation with friends. Some of you may think that providing businesses to our community that serve alcohol will bring only bad things to this town. Let me tell you why I feel that is just NOT the case. I am an elderly woman, so I’m speaking of more than a few years of experience. At the time I was being raised in northern Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, it was a small town, much like Albany. A mixture of ethanticity, and a farming community with mostly Dutch and Polish residents. In town, there were, and still are, a number of liquor stores and local bars where some people gather to just relax with a drink and visit with friends or have lunch or dinner with a soft drink or cup of coffee. Or if they choose, grab a bottle of wine at the corner liquor store or grocery to take home to have with dinner there. In every neighborhood, it seemed everybody grew and respected their neighbors and all the kids played together outside until the street lights came on. Unless we were catching lightening bugs in a jar of course. Those who chose not to drink alcohol, like my parents, NEVER went to the liquor stores or the local bars. When I grew up, there was never alcohol in our home except when my uncle decided to make some wine from the grapes in his back yard. Even then, momma declined in drinking it. Not because she felt it was sinful, but because she just didn’t like the taste. Some of our neighbors had alcohol in their home, some didn’t. Nobody really cared one way or another, because it was just NEVER an issue. Through the years, that small town has grown and prospered with department and grocery stores like Wal-Mart, Lowes, Home Depot, Myers, Kroger’s, Jewels & Dominic’s, AND, restaurants like Applebee’s, Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Outback, just to name a few because there are also many specialty eateries and stores as well. There’s also reputable entertainment establishments like J.J. Kelly’s Sports Bar with their wall size TV screens, and a dance club by the golf course with live bands on weekends and ballroom dancing lessons through the week. ALL of these establishments either serve or sell alcohol with NO problems because of it. And the people who do not drink alcohol either do not go there or pass by the liquor isle at these stores. Just as many of you who do not drink alcohol, while traveling on your vacations, may choose to go to any of those stores or restaurants, but just order water, coffee, soda, or sweet tea. Just because they serve alcohol doesn’t’ mean you have to order it, or buy it at the stores. It is just not an issue or a problem. On the contrary, nothing but positive effects have come as a result of these businesses. One more example more recently is the town of Wheaton, Illinois. A college town, that was dry until just recently, but surrounded by wet communities. Some of the people thought that making Wheaton wet would cause problems for the community and students. Because of the dry status for so long, and as the elderly people moved from the town, real estate became stagnant and the town was suffering financially and was not growing as was the neighboring towns because they just did not have as much to offer. They decided to vote the county and town wet and since then, the town has grown in new business establishments, bringing in more people, real estate sales and revenue, all with no more crime or problems than they had before which was minimal and still is. I know this to be true because I have relatives that live near there and have watched this development.

Overall my point is this: For those of you that do not believe in any form of alcohol, that is your right and you are entitled to it. However, I do not believe that because you have that viewpoint on alcohol, that you all do not like to see your community prosper. I believe that you can enjoy the same restaurants and shopping experiences that are available in the rest of the country without having to drive an hour or two to get to those businesess…BUT…we just do not have those in our area simply because there are still some people who think that just because our town or county sells or serves alcohol that everybody will be drinking alcohol and the community will experience more problems. That is just NOT the case and has been proven many times over throughout the country.

So…in closing, as a person who was not raised with alcohol in our home, and whose parents did not drink alcohol, even though there were liquor stores and bars in our town, but for my whole life have been involved in activities, business ventures, and entertainment that have had alcohol available, I ask that you put aside your personal preferences and really consider the benefits and advantages to our local county by voting to make this county wet so we too may be open to restaurants, stores, and specialty businesses that would not only be wonderful for us to have close at hand, but more importantly would increase our tourism revenues which would also be greatly beneficial to the people and businesses of our area as well as the entire county itself. And, because of that increase in revenues that could be used to improve our roads, parks, county buildings, schools and we could even open establishments that would give our young people something to do other that just ride around town. All of these things come as a result of attracting the kind of businesses to our area because we have the people to support those business and that is a result of offering the establishments the option of selling or serving alcohol and keeping the money in our own community to be used for the good of our residents.

I’ve been advised that by giving my opinion publicly…that I may risk the backlash or snubbing of some of the people who read or hear of my opinion. However, as I said in the beginning, I have come to love this town and county and the people in it. I have experienced nothing but acceptance, friendliness, and warmth from the people I’ve met and befriended. I have never judged anyone who disagrees with my opinions, and I respect the right of others to express their opinions even if I disagree with them because that is what freedom in this country is all about. Every citizen having the right to share their point of view, and that is all I’m attempting to do here. To share my personal experiences in life, in the hopes that it will give you an alternative perspective and bring only benefits and prosperity to the good people of this county. To share that goodness in our people and our beautiful surroundings with whoever would come here and choose to linger awhile because of what we would have to offer for their relaxation and enjoyment. Then to tell others about our wonderful area and to come back again for future visits.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share my opinion on having a wet county…only in the hopes of improving our county revenue, having the convenience of large businesses and restaurants closer at hand, and sharing the beauty and friendliness of our Clinton County, Ky. and the things we have to offer here with the rest of the world.

A hopeful citizen for a prosperous community.

Janet Brummett

Albany, Kentucky