June 7, 2010
|
Wet wins again in Cedar Bluff By Scott Wright CEDAR BLUFF — For the second time since 2003, residents of this small town on the shores of Weiss Lake went to the polls and said – loudly and clearly – that they don't mind if people on their side of the Coosa River want a cold beer while doing the yard work, or a glass of wine with dinner. Nor do they mind the hundreds of thousands of tax dollars that have come along with legalized alcohol sales. Since sales began in April 2005, the town has raised almost $600,000, of which $106,000 has been given to Cedar Bluff High School to purchase athletic equipment. Again on June 1, over 76 percent of 478 voters marked "yes" on their ballots. The finally tally was 365-113. Long considered by many the most progressive town in Cherokee County, residents here realize their home is a tourist community and understand that many visitors like to relax with an adult beverage while they enjoy their vacation. That forward-looking frame of mind has led several new businesses to the town in recent years. There is hope that more will be coming soon, now that the seven-year legal battle over alcohol has finally come to an end. “I think if the people vote to continue alcohol sales other businesses will begin to look to the town, and they will see a beautiful place to invest their time and money,” Mayor Ethel Sprouse told The Post in April, after the referendum was announced. Town officials decided to hold a second vote after the Alabama Legislature passed a law legalizing wet-dry referendums in any town in the state with at least 1,000 residents. There are around 1,500 people in Cedar Bluff. In early April, the Cedar Bluff Town Council accepted a petition signed by 321 residents asking the town to hold a wet-dry vote. Alcohol was first legalized in Cedar Bluff in August 2003. Immediately after the referendum passed, however, a group of residents filed a lawsuit questioning whether the legislation that allowed the town to hold the vote was constitutional. State law at the time required a town in a dry county to have at least 7,000 residents before holding a vote. A second lawsuit, filed after the first one was settled out of court in 2005, also questioned the legality of the election. In April, Sprouse said she expected last week's vote to end the legal battle for good. “We'll either be wet or dry,” she said. |