freaks urge NY to quit screwing bettors and people that do not belong to the same church as Andrew Cuomo.
NY Const. Art 1, Sec. 3 is known even to Mormons who do not admit to having bet at Nassau OTB or NYC OTB
Vote on Alcohol Sales Divides a Utah Town Where Few Drink
Jim McAuley for The New York Times
Hyde Park, Utah, near the city
of Logan at the base of the Wasatch Range. Hyde Park recently became
one of the last cities in the state to ease alcohol rules.
By DAN FROSCH
Published: November 17, 2013
HYDE PARK, Utah — When a convenience store chain approached city
officials here last year about selling beer, people knew a fight was
coming.
Jim McAuley for The New York Times
Gene and Kathy Reck at their home in Hyde Park. The
Recks helped lead an unsuccessful campaign against the sale of alcohol.
Jim McAuley for The New York Times
Bret Randall, a city councilman, supported a referendum to eliminate a ban on sales.
Jim McAuley for The New York Times
Beer sales are now allowed at Maverik, the only
convenience store in a town that was founded by Mormon pioneers.
After all, this quiet town near the Idaho border, founded by Mormon
pioneers, had a longstanding ban on alcohol sales. And in keeping with
the tenets of the Mormon Church, few people in Hyde Park drank at all.
But this month, after a long and bitter battle, residents voted nearly
two to one to allow alcohol sales, making Hyde Park one of the last
bastions to loosen its rules on drinking in this button-down state,
where liquor laws have grown less restrictive in recent years.
“This was the most emotional issue I’ve seen in Hyde Park,” said Bryan
Cox, the mayor, who supported overturning the ban. “People were
passionate on this, one way or the other.”
Alcohol has had a quirky, complicated history in Utah, as lawmakers have
had to consider the powerful influence of the Mormon Church, which
frowns upon drinking.
From the end of Prohibition until the late 1960s, bar patrons had to
bring their own bottles, or store them in tavern lockers. Those laws
eventually gave way to a system that required people to pay for a club
membership to order drinks.
The hospitality industry continued to push steadily to ease regulations.
In 2009, state lawmakers joined with Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to eliminate
the membership requirement, allowing bars to serve any patron of legal
age.
Still, vestiges of Utah’s rigidity remain. Restaurants can now serve
wine, beer and liquor, but most drinks must be prepared behind a
partition that has come to be known as the “Zion Curtain.”
The question of whether to allow beer sales in Hyde Park unmasked
painful divisions. Neighbors argued over what it meant to be Mormon.
Some emphasized the economic benefits of alcohol sales. Others stayed
quiet, afraid they would be ostracized for weighing in.
The debate started simmering last year, after the City Council voted 3
to 2 to allow the Maverik convenience store — the only such store in
town — to sell beer. But some wanted Hyde Park’s 3,900 residents to have
a say. Opponents of alcohol sales gathered enough signatures to put the
ban to a citywide referendum before the new ordinance took effect.
At heated public hearings, proponents of selling beer said fliers that
were placed in people’s mailboxes implied that drinkers were
undesirable. Those against the sales said their campaign signs had been
stolen or vandalized.
Kathy Reck, who helped lead the opposition campaign, said she worried
that selling alcohol would lead to public health troubles.
Ms. Reck, who has an administrative job at nearby Utah State University,
said opponents feared being criticized as too devout. The Mormon
Church, known formally as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, teaches members not to drink, and has supported Utah’s strict
regulations.
“I think people were afraid that if they spoke out about how they truly
believed, they would be persecuted as if it was a religious issue,” she
said. “I thought I was moving into this wonderful L.D.S. community where
everyone would stand up and speak. I’ve been a little disillusioned.”
For many, allowing the sales represented an economic boon to this city
of wide, sycamore-lined streets at the base of the Wasatch mountain
range. Besides Maverik, Hyde Park has few retail businesses.
Bret Randall, a city councilman, said that even if most residents
abstained from drinking, Hyde Park should not force others to do the
same.
“Being a member of the Latter-day Saints, I understand the arguments
against it,” said Mr. Randall, who is a police lieutenant in neighboring
Logan, where alcohol is sold.
Mr. Randall said he had witnessed the effects of alcohol abuse firsthand through his job.
“But I’m also a huge advocate of free agency,” he said. “You’re an
adult, and you have choices. Although I don’t use alcohol or advocate
for its use, I certainly understand people’s right to drink.”
Mr. Randall’s stance has become more commonplace, as the state seeks to
balance religious tradition with economic and social realities.
“It’s been a lot easier for people from outside of Utah to get a drink
without going through the restrictions of a private membership,” said
John Valentine, a state senator from Utah County who helped draft the
2009 law that removed the membership requirement. “If they just want a
drink, they can go get a drink.”
In addition to bars, liquor stores operated by the state sell alcohol in
Utah. But, as in some other states, convenience stores like Maverik can
sell only low-alcohol beer.
Danielle Mattiussi, the executive director of regional operations for
the Maverik chain, said she expected overall sales at its Hyde Park
store to increase by about 25 percent.
“We’re looking forward to selling beer,” she said. “We’ve been a part of this community for over 20 years.”
Hard feelings may linger. Some residents expressed disappointment that
their community was changing; others said drinkers had been unfairly
derided.
But residents vowed to put aside their differences. Hyde Park is a place
where you cannot avoid your neighbors — in town, public meetings or
church.
Last week, with the new ordinance in effect, the city presented Maverik
with its alcohol license. A large banner flapped from the store’s
entrance.
“Thank you Hyde Park,” it read.
I-
Thanks for the help. The item’s
below. I’d be happy to mail you a copy, if you give me a mailing
address.
Claude
Solnik
(631)
913-4244
Long Island Business
News
2150
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LI Confidential
> Stop scratching on holidays
Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.
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