During a press conference Monday, Madison and university officials announced the creation of a new position in city government to act as a liaison between alcohol-selling establishments and local government.
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz unveiled the initiative to install an alcohol policy coordinator in Madison’s Office of Business Resources before releasing his city budget to be announced today.
The coordinator will work in concert with police enforcement, bar and liquor-store owners and with the Alcohol License and Review Committee, along with initiatives involving the University of Wisconsin, such as the Policy, Alternatives, Community and Education (PACE) project.
Cieslewicz said the new position is not a new way to enforce rules — such as underage drinking, over-crowding in bars or over-consumption among patrons — but instead is intended to end obstacles owners and managers encounter when trying to understand regulations and also to develop better business practices.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had a point person like this,” Cieslewicz said.
Acting Police Chief Noble Wray agreed with the mayor, adding a person with “customer orientation” is needed.
Although the new position will monitor compliance in bars and taverns, the alcohol policy coordinator would help individuals wishing to be licensed navigate the city process while also aiding the ALRC and all of local government in developing a comprehensive and consistent policy.
“The [alcohol policy coordinator] will definitely be a contributor to policy making,” said LaMarr Billups, special assistant to the chancellor, adding the new official would not work exclusively with any entity, from PACE to the MPD, but rather oversee all strategy proposals.
The mayor said he spoke with UW Chancellor John Wiley about the possible position during the planning stages to garner support for the project. He said he got far more support than he originally anticipated.
“He embraced it,” the mayor said, adding Wiley committed to financially support the coordinator’s position.
UW will pay for half of the cost of the position, or $25,000 for the first nine months. Billups said he did not know where the money will come from for the coordinator, but noted it will not originate from grants funding the PACE project.
The alcohol policy coordinator will start work in April of 2005. The position will be re-evaluated at the end of the year, according to the mayor.
“It’s a pilot project,” Cieslewicz said.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the new “bar czar” would also support liquor-store owners when dealing with chronic alcoholics who get inebriated downtown during the middle of the day.
Jim Boxrud, one of the owner’s of Paul’s Club, said the new coordinator could improve the current situation the city now has.
“Anything that would improve communications would be good,” Boxrud said during an interview, adding though he has not recently had any problems with the ALRC, misunderstanding concerning alcohol policy is a common issue.
Boxrud also said having a person to talk to whenever necessary would be a vast improvement to being forced to wait up to a month for ALRC meetings.
