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Gilmer Latest to Seek Alcohol Vote

Posted/updated on: January 17, 2014 at 10:41 am
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isthisaballotoramenuGILMER — A Gilmer-based political action committee filed signatures Wednesday with the Gilmer city manager in hopes of making alcohol sales legal in the historically dry Upshur County seat. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. The group, Gilmer Committee for Economic Growth, gathered more than 430 signatures that, if approved, will place two propositions on the May ballot. “There is no agenda for me other than that I want to see this little historic town square prosper,” said Gerald Jones, treasurer for the committee and owner of Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards. “When all these other little towns are going wet and voting damp, the idea really is, yeah, we would be left behind. Who is going to want to be here?”

The committee hopes to allow residents to vote to approve the sale of beer and wine for off-premise consumption and the sale of mixed beverages in restaurants by food and beverage certificate holders. Gilmer officials have 30 days to verify the signatures are of registered voters. It is expected the City Council will add the propositions to the May 10 ballot in late February.

Bart Austin, the stake president for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the area, said he does not believe the Mormon church, which comprises a major religious segment of the community, would put up organized opposition to the propositions. “While members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not drink alcohol for doctrinal reasons, every community has to make its own decisions about how to govern its sale or use,” Austin said. The church in Gilmer serves as a “stake.” Similar to a diocese in the Catholic faith, a stake is a geographical area comprised of multiple congregations. The Gilmer stake oversees eight congregations in northeast Texas and southern Oklahoma. There are three wards (congregations) in Gilmer.

Still, Austin said, there are dangers associated with alcohol that should be considered by voters. “Our hope is that in making those decisions, communities will also take into account the negative social consequences that may come with its use, including underage drinking, alcohol-related traffic accidents and deaths, and abuses caused by over consumption,” Austin said.



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