Atlantic City Fails, Again, To Act On Proposed Open Beverage Law On Boardwalk

By David Madden

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (CBS) -- City Council in Atlantic City has, again, failed to move on a proposal to allow people to carry open cups of alcohol on the boardwalk. And it now appears the idea may not have a chance to be enacted for this summer tourist season.

There are doubts the plan has enough votes to pass, after the second try to begin the process was pulled off the table by Council President Marty Small. Now the body wants the state to chime in on the idea.

Bottom line, given council's summer schedule, there's no way the ordinance can be vetted and approved before the conclusion of the summer season.

That's prompting an angry response from supporters of the plan, like Tom Forkin, chairman of Atlantic City's Alcohol Beverage Control board.

"Quite frankly, I think it's to the point where it needs to be voted up or voted down by the city," Forkin told KYW Newsradio."But quite honestly, this being in the tourism zone, does City Council really have the ultimate authority to pass this?"

Forkin says he's approached the state to see if Trenton could administratively put the plan in motion and bypass council entirely. That way, he figures the change could come for at least part of this summer.

He also believes opponents on council have "failed to do their homework", noting similar laws are in effect in other tourist locations like Las Vegas, Key West and Disney World.