Kingston to ditch law that prohibits Election Day liquor sales

By JENNIFER RAYMOND

rcraymond@bellsouth.net

Dispute over a Kingston liquor ordinance has prompted the city council to strike one item from its books — the closing of liquor stores on Election

Day.

Bootleggers Liquor Store and Cheers of Kingston were the only stores in the state of Tennessee that were closed, according to Bootleggers’ co-owner Atish “HoJo” Kala.

According to the Tennessee Alcohol and Beverage Commission, liquor

stores are required to be closed on the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanks-

giving, Christmas and New Year’s

Day.

The city of Kingston added Election Day to its ordinance in September 2005 after voters voted in favor to allow liquor sales within the city.

A Tennessee Alcohol and Beverage Commission representative told the Roane County News she didn’t believe the city had the authority to require stores to close that day.

Commission officials contacted the city and asked City Attorney Sandy McPherson to seek the state attorney general’s opinion on the situation.

Instead, the city council decided to draft an ordinance that removes Election Day from the language.

“I bet this was done as an oversight,” Councilman Brant Williams said.

Council members who were on the council in 2005, Mayor Troy Beets, Kevin McClure and Norman Sugarman, couldn’t remember why Election Day was added to begin with.

According to Roane County News archives, the ordinance was approved on Sept. 19, 2005.

The article, published on Sept.

21, 2005, said the part about the Election Day ban was unanimously approved.