Sarah Moses
Cumberland Times-News
October 19, 2008 12:15 am
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OAKLAND — The possibility of Sunday sales of alcohol in Garrett County will be up for vote alongside the presidential election and a statewide referendum for slots.
“Our stance (as commissioners) is the reason it’s on referendum is because we want people to choose what they want,” Denny Glotfelty, county commission chairman, said. “I think the slots are great on referendum because the people in the state can choose whether they want slots or not. It’s a good, democratic way of making these decisions.”
The Nov. 4 election will include both of these referendums as well as a statewide referendum for early voting, either through absentee ballot or voting at polling places in or outside the voters’ districts prior to election day.
As for the local issue of Sunday sales, Steve Fratz, director of the Garrett County Board of Elections, said voting on whether to allow the Sunday sale of alcohol with a dinner will be done by each district.
“Each district will tabulate its own totals, and if the vote is for (the sales) at the end of the last canvass, that means that voting district would be able to serve, on Sunday, alcohol with a meal,” Fratz said. “We have 19 different voting districts, although two of them will not have that on their ballots because that passed in 1998.”
The two districts that already allow the Sunday sale of alcohol are Avilton and the Elbow, where voters passed the right for the special license for the sales 10 years ago when it last came up for referendum.
Monty Pagenhardt, county administrator, said he hasn’t heard much in the way of opposition or support of the alcohol sales.
He said he hasn’t seen protesting from groups that had opposed it in prior years and that those in support haven’t been going door-to-door to give out information as had been done previously.
The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce has taken a public stance in favor of slots in the state, but not an official one on the issue of Sunday sales.
“There’s no question about the chamber position on slots,” Charlie Ross, president and CEO of the chamber, said. “We’re all for supporting the funding of education. We’re all behind the Maryland chamber efforts statewide to succeed in that effort. The chamber has not taken a position on the Sunday alcohol sales per se. There is a reactive group of members of the chamber, plus other establishments, that is working to educate on what reasonable offerings to guests to our county might be.”
It will be up to the voters to make the final decision, but for those wishing to be more informed, the sample ballots as well as summaries of the three referendums are available on the Garrett County Election Board Web site at www.garrettcounty.org/Elections/Elections.aspx.
Contact Sarah Moses at smoses@times-news.com.
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