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Chatham liquor law approved

Posted on May 7, 2009 by Staff

By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

Chatham County voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum that would allow mixed-drink sales in the county, a move that supporters say will boost the local economy.

Unofficial results show that 5,073, or 65 percent, of those who went to the polls voted “yes,” while 2,710, or 35 percent, voted “no.”

A little less than 19 percent of the county’s registered voters turned out for the special election.

Jeffrey Starkweather, who along with Pittsboro Mayor Randy Voller helped lead the effort to pass the referendum, said he was delighted by the results.

“I think it means people really want to move Chatham forward in terms of economic development,” Starkweather said.

The outcome of the referendum, he said, is the likelihood that Pittsboro will be able to attract more restaurants, which in turn will lead to more retail coming to the area as well.

Steve Cote, co-owner and general manager at City Tap, said it’s likely City Tap will soon apply for a mixed-drink permit. He credits Voller for firing up those interested in seeing the referendum pass.

“The mayor did a fantastic job,” Cote said. “He went above and beyond.”
Cote said that since he moved to Pittsboro in 1994, it always struck him as unfair that places like the Siler City County Club and the Governors Club could serve mixed drinks but others could not.

The result of the referendum makes the playing field a little fairer, he said. “This opens up all these possibilities for Pittsboro.”

Starkweather said one downside of the election results was that they show that the county is still deeply divided between east and west. Voters in the eastern part of the county voted heavily in favor of allowing mixed drinks, while most of the opposition — fueled mainly by rural churches and Siler City radio station WNCA — was centered in western Chatham.

The referendum was voted down in Siler City two to one, Starkweather said.

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