At the "Ideas for the City" Creatives Mixer this past February at Rubber Gloves, local tech dude (his LinkedIn says SEO Analyst) Andy Odom shared his idea with a raucous crowd to make Denton "wet." After informing us that he wasn't being leud, and just wanted to be able to purchase some whiskey in Denton, the crowd cheered his idea. Apparently, making Denton wet had already been in the works.
Several groups of businesses and restaurants in town have banded together to propose a law that will allow liquor stores to operate in Denton, keeping an estimated $700,000 in tax revenues in the city. Another effect will be that the "private club" loophole that allows only bars to sell liquor will go away. So no more having to swipe your drivers license or explaining to out-of-towners why they're getting the big brother treatment for trying to step foot in a bar.
Maybe you've noticed the folks in the yellow shirts walking around the square, the post office, or any one of the many other areas drinkers frequent in town. They carry clipboards and ask you if you are registered to vote in Denton. That crew has been gathering signatures in order to present them to the city secretary, Jennifer Walters. So far, they've had 60 days to gather at least 6,514 signatures. This Friday, June 27th at 2PM they will be turning in 6,994 to City Hall (215 McKinney). Texas Petition Strategies has said that this has been the largest petition drive in Texas so far for 2014.
Once the petition is verified, council will call the election at a regular meeting and we'll see it on the ballot in November. Part of having it on the ballot means campaigning for the initiative to gain the public vote.
They're asking for money to cover costs such as "phone calls for consumer education, campaign signs, billboards, ads, events and everything that goes into a real political campaign." You can donate to their campaign through the GoFundMe page embedded below. You can also follow along with progress and other ideas at Denton First's Facebook page. If you're interested in learning more about the economical benefits of going wet, we suggest reading this proposal by Hannah Lasco.