Booze on ballot

Nine cities across the region will ask voters Tuesday to decide if restaurants can serve beer, wine and liquor.

The issue is drawing sharp conversation in Collegedale, the Hamilton County bedroom community founded by Seventh-day Adventists and still closely tied to the church.

There, as in almost all the other cities considering liquor sales, the motivation boils down to economics.

"We are trying to get more and more higher-end retail, and you can't do it without alcohol," said David Barto, one of five College-dale residents who organized a petition to get a liquor referendum on the ballot.

"Alcohol is the tiny cog in the wheel, and the rest of our planning can't work without it," he said.

Arguments against allowing alcohol also are similar across the region. Residents worry that alcohol sales encourage alcohol consumption, make roads unsafe and violate their moral principles.

"People see this as critical to the welfare of Collegedale," said City Councilman Larry Hanson. "But I don't think Collegedale will be hurt in the slightest if we wait a few years and get all the facts."

Growth that could be sparked by the alcohol sales would be years away, he said. The city passed an ordinance to allow on-premise beer sales several years ago, but only a few restaurants have made use of it, he said.

The city also should consider the impact on the 3,000 students at Southern Adventist University, Hanson said.

Opening the door to alcohol sales could cause harm to the community that far outweighs any economic gain, said First Southern Baptist Church pastor Jim Whitaker in Pikeville, Tenn.

"Sure, things are really tight, and taxes on gas and alcohol fuel our city, but to me it leads to addiction and a host of other problems that we battle every day," Whitaker said.

In Pikeville, which also is voting whether to allow liquor stores, the measure hasn't generated much discussion around town, he said.

"I don't think it will pass here," Whitaker said. "Until recently, we haven't heard many people talking about it at all."

In Collegedale, attitudes against alcohol may be changing, Hanson said.

"Many Adventists don't want to be seen pushing their values on others," said Hanson, who is an Adventist and taught at the university until 12 years ago. "I don't have a gut feeling about whether it will pass or not."

Besides, Collegedale residents who want to buy alcohol only have to cross Lee Highway into Chattanooga.

"This just makes us competitive," said Collegedale City Manager Ted Rogers. "It's right beside us, anyway."