Mayor says Sunday liquor ban is unfair; councilman says restriction is reasonable

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Mel Olson, left, answers a media question during a forum Tuesday evening at Mitchell Technical Institute’s Technology Center amphitheater. Olson, a city councilman, spoke against allowing Sunday offsale liquor while Mayor Lou Sebert, who is also pictured, spoke for it. Mitchell voters will decide the issue Tuesday. (Chris Huber/Republic Photo)

Talk about it

Mayor Lou Sebert argued that the off-sale of liquor on Sunday will boost the local economy, while not allowing it only punishes people who drink responsibly.

City Councilman Mel Olson said he thinks liquor has enough of a foothold in Mitchell without tossing out one of the last limits on it.

The two elected officials, who formerly served together in the Legislature, sat side-by-side and engaged in a lively but friendly discussion on the issue Tuesday evening at Mitchell Technical Institute’s Technology Center amphitheater. “Off-sale” is when the liquor is sold to be consumed off the premises of the business. Voters will decide the issue in Tuesday’s election.

“I think we need to realize that Mitchell is a real regional community,” Sebert said.

The mayor said he recently saw a hunter buying a bottle of whiskey and some snacks in Mitchell. If it had been a Sunday, the sale might not have happened here, he said.

In addition to hunters, tourists, people who come to events at the Corn Palace and people here for conventions and meetings may want to buy a bottle of booze on Sundays, Sebert said.

Olson said he feels those who want the city to retain the law banning the off-sale of liquor one day a week deserve some consideration and respect for their views.

He compared it to denying a bite of turkey to a guest on Thanksgiving.

“They’d like a leg of the turkey,” Olson said. “You can have the rest of the turkey. They’d like a leg.”

Sebert said he feels it’s essentially a financial decision, since shoppers may go elsewhere on Sundays if they can’t buy a bottle of hard liquor while purchasing their groceries.

Olson said he is especially concerned about hard liquor. People may sip a beer or a glass of wine over dinner or at a backyard celebration, he said. But Olson said hard liquor is more commonly used to get drunk.

“That’s a train that will take you to town a lot faster,” he said. “There should be some clear-headed time on Sunday.”

Sebert said the ban on Sunday off-sale liquor punishes people who drink responsibly. He said it makes no sense that hard liquor can be ordered at a bar on Sundays, but a person cannot buy a bottle of liquor to drink at home.

Olson said children learn about drinking, smoking and swearing from watching adults.

Banning the off-sale of hard liquor on Sunday would send a good message, he said.

“You’re saying alcohol is not king,” Olson said. “That’s all you’re saying.”

Sebert said kids have to learn about things at some point and will do so. He said it’s best to leave moral questions in the home and not in government. Olson said governments often pass laws that touch on morality.

Olson said people need to be aware of the “slippery slope” to wide-open behavior. He cited the example of legalized prostitution in Nevada, where it was argued that legalizing the activity would make it safer and give the government a chance to earn revenue from it. Arguments can be made to legalize anything, Olson said, but that doesn’t mean everything should be legalized.

Sebert said the time of extensive restrictions on alcohol consumption has passed. “The slippery slope slipped a long time ago,” he said.

Olson, who is in his 29th year as a Mitchell High School teacher, said he’s seen far too many minors in the area killed or seriously injured in alcoholrelated accidents over the years.

Sending them a message that alcohol sales are appropriate at all times in all ways adds fuel to the fire, he said.

Sebert noted that some faiths mark the Sabbath on Saturday, while others do so on Sunday. It seems wrong for the government to get involved with matters of personal faith by banning the off-sale of hard liquor one day a week, Sebert said, adding that the choice of Sunday favors some faiths over others.

The local ballot issue stems from the state Legislature’s decision in recent years to allow cities and towns to decide for themselves if they want to allow off-sale liquor on Sundays.

The Mitchell City Council voted to do so in June 2009, but the ordinance was quickly referred to a public vote by a group of opponents to the plan.

On Tuesday, a “yes” vote will be to allow off-sale liquor on Sundays. A “no” vote will be to maintain the current ban on Sunday off-sale liquor.

Tags: election 2010, sunday off-sale liquor, mel olson, lou sebert, news, local, politics, fccnetwork