PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Restauranteurs in Ocean City seeking a voter referendum to allow for patrons to bring beer and wine to dinner have submitted their petitions to city officials, and it appears they’ve more than met the burden to put the question to voters come the fall.

They thought they needed 747 signatures, but that would set up a special election. And local businessman Bill McGinnity says they didn’t need to go that far.
“We’re trying to help the local economy, not hurt it, and with any special election there are a lot of additional costs and we didn’t want to put that on the taxpayers of Ocean City,” says McGinnity.

So they submitted 583. They need 498, 10 percent of those who voted in the last election to be included on this November’s ballot.

The city clerk has 20 days to certify. If the signatures are valid, it goes to city council for their input. They could opt to do nothing, which would force McGinnity’s people to take their petitions to Cape May County for action.

There is a sizable opposition to the plan, led by the Mayor and Ocean City’s religious community.

Reported By David Madden, KYW Newsradio