Pitman Votes To End 100 Year Dry Spell, Approving Liquor Licenses
PITMAN, N.J. (CBS) – A tradition more than a hundred years old may soon be over after voters approve liquor licenses in Pitman, NJ. Founded in the late 1800's as a Methodist summer camp, Pitman has been a dry town with no liquor sales.
This year to go with a handful of BYOB restaurants the town welcomed Kelly Green Brewing Co.
By state law they can brew and sell beer on-premises.
Owner Justin Fleming says any resistance quickly fizzled.
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"They saw how we were servicing the eateries in town, I think everyone just came together and welcomed us completely," says Fleming. Also in the last few years eateries in town began selling bottles of New Jersey produced wine, another state law.
This week Pitman voters took the addition of alcohol to town a step further by passing a non-binding referendum to allow the sale of liquor licenses.
About two-thirds said yes and one-third said no to liquor licenses.
"At night it's safe it's quiet, you can walk down the street and not worry about anything but I just feel with that atmosphere, it brings whatever it brings," says Eric Ottaviano who voted "no". Council could soon pass an ordinance for up to 3 licenses.
"The council is probably going to listen to what the public wants, but there's going to be great discussion on it," says councilman Kevin Austin.
Vito Mannino has two restaurants and wants a liquor license if it's affordable.
"In a dry town that would be pretty historic and I think it would be a great asset to my business but again it comes down to dollars and cents," says Mannino of Mannino's Cucina and Pizzeria Mannino.
Flemming and Mannino say while they like the idea that liquor licenses could bring new customers to Broadway in Pitman, there's one thing that they don't want. They worry that if liquor licenses are too expensive a bar with deep pockets could come to Broadway and drown them out.
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"What I would hate to see happen is a big business open up downtown, get some vacant commercial real estate and start choking people out of here," says Fleming.
There is discussion liquor licenses could be several hundred thousand dollars, but nothing is set and public will have more opportunities to weigh in.
