‘Dead in the water’ : Campaign to get dry-county status put to vote likely over
Posted on Sunday, March 30, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/News/60201/
BENTON COUNTY — When Dave Routon announced he was heading up Citizens for Choice 10 months ago, he was optimistic and energized. Once and for all, he believed, registered voters in Benton County would be able to decide the fate of the dry-county liquor status.
While Routon refuses to wave the white flag, even he is far from optimistic at this point that anything significant will come of this most recent push to put the wet-dry debate to a vote in Benton County in November.
“ It’s dead in the water if something dramatic doesn’t happen, ” Routon said. “ And I have no reason to believe something will happen. ”
According to Routon, it’s not so much a feeling of surprise that Citizens for Choice will likely fall far short of the more than 36, 000 signatures required to even put the issue to a vote during the general election. Instead, Routon finds himself in a state of “ frustration and bewilderment. ”
“ From the beginning, I stated that this is not a religious issue. It’s not a moral issue. It’s a political issue, ” Routon said. “ I truly believe that. It’s a political issue, but we don’t have the key elected leaders in these cities stepping up. What are these guys here for ? This is something that affects everyone in this county, does it not ? If an issue like this doesn’t fall in a mayor’s wheelhouse, then what does ?”
While both the Bentonville-Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce and the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce have both stated support for putting the issue to a vote, Routon said he has not received responses from the mayors of the two largest communities in the county — Bentonville Mayor Bob McCaslin and Rogers Mayor Steve Womack. Routon said he has believed from the beginning that he would need both of those elected leaders and the owners and managers of the majority of the area’s hotels to step forward and present the wet-dry issue as a legitimate concern.
Womack told The Daily Record he is not opposed to people having an opportunity to vote to keep the county dry or turn it wet, but he does not see it as a priority issue, as Routon and Citizens for Choice believe it is.
“ It’s not a big priority with me, ” Womack said. “ I support people’s right to vote on this, but I think it’s a bit of a stretch to lay the blame at the feet of the mayors. We have proven to the world that economic development can happen under the present conditions. There are plenty of other things, such as roads, water and sewers, that are significantly higher on my priority list. ”
“ Maybe (Routon ) is right — if the mayors got involved it could make some kind of a difference — but I’m occupied with a lot of far more important issues, ” Womack said. “ The present permitting system for private clubs works well in our community. I don’t see this being counterproductive to our quality of life. ”
Routon, however, points south on the Interstate 540 corridor to Springdale and Fayetteville, the two largest communities in neighboring Washington County, which are dealing with significant drops in tax revenue in recent years.
“ There was a day when you wouldn’t have thought twice about driving to Fayetteville to go out to eat, ” Routon said. “ There wasn’t anything up here. That’s changed. Now, look at everything. We have a new outdoor mall, restaurants and more. Not only are Benton County residents dining and shopping here, but more and more Washington County residents are coming up here to do the same.
“ What I’m saying is that you always have to be looking years ahead. You constantly have to be positioning yourself. You can’t afford to sit back and say, ‘ Things are good, I don’t have to do anything. ’ The only thing you can ever be certain of is that things do change. You have to be ready. Who’s to say things won’t move closer to McDonald County, Mo., where it’s cheaper to live and businesses there don’t have to jump through any hoops to satisfy dry-county laws. Businesses go where it’s friendly to do business. ”
Routon used the recently constructed Northwest Arkansas Naturals minor league baseball stadium in Springdale as an example of one opportunity Benton County may have had in its sights if it weren’t for its dry-county status. That is the kind of venue or attraction Benton County does currently have, but Routon says it could open the door to complimentary developments, such as a water park and more in the area immediately surrounding it.
“ We’ve already pretty much lost the ballpark because of (the dry-county status ), ” said Bentonville-Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce president Ed Clifford, when asked about any hurdles being a dry county may present. “ Two years ago, there was a bill introduced that would have done away with private clubs. It didn’t pass, but with the way it’s set up right now, we’re allowing another part of the state, if they so wish, to decide the future of our private clubs. ”
And that’s where Clifford believes the most significant fear rests.
“ If you tightened up the state’s alcohol and beverage commission, that would be a problem for Benton County — a very big problem, ” Clifford said. “ You’d be taking away something we’ve already had. That could put a lot of hotels, restaurants and other businesses on their backs. ”
According to Jon Dandes, president of Rich Baseball Operations, which owns several minor league baseball teams across the country, including the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the new Arvest Ballpark would not be in Springdale if the county were dry.
“ That’s a very significant element in the big picture, ” Dandes said. “ And we’re not just talking about beverage sales. Budweiser is the No. 1 advertiser in the world with anything having to do with sports. Whether you’re a baseball organization or the X-Games, Budweiser and other brewing companies contribute a great deal in advertising. Sporting venues have been constructed in dry counties before, but it’s not often, and my hat’s off to anyone who can make their business plan work under those conditions. ”
As the law stands today, Citizens for Choice would have to garner the signatures of onethird of the registered voters in Benton County in order for the issue to appear on a general election ballot. Routon has not provided an estimate as to how many signatures Citizens for Choice has collected, other than to suggest it’s on course to fall well short. Clifford suggests the best way to get the issue put to a vote may be to turn to the Legislature.
“ There aren’t many issues — maybe any — around that require the signatures of onethird of the residents just to get on a ballot, ” Clifford said. “ But that’s what has to be changed. To do that, we’ll have to form some sort of coalition with other counties interested in putting that question to the ballot. ”
“ I really believe if we don’t address this issue now, we’re going to look back years from now and wish we had, ” Routon said. “ This isn’t going to just disappear on its own. This (campaign ) may be dead in the water, but I’m not going away quietly in the night. I don’t want to be looking back wishing we’d done something. ”