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Sparks flew in Tuesday’s City Council meeting between outgoing councilman Bryant Blake and Mayor Donnie Andersen over the issue of the city forcing police background checks of all bartenders before they can be allowed to work.
The council under the urging of West Wendover Police Chief Ron Supp first directed City Attorney Tom Coyle to prepare the ordinance earlier this year, despite the fact the idea was vigorously opposed by Andersen and by Councilman Izzy Gutierrez.
Since that initial okay there appears to have been a change of heart. Councilman Johnny Gorum said in the meeting that he had received almost exclusively negative comments on the idea from private individuals as well as businesses that would be affected by the proposed ordinance.
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The draft ordinance would have required a background check of all persons employed as bartenders at the cost of $60 per employee. While Blake insisted that the charge was minimal for a company such as the Peppermill the amount could add up. With at least eight bars on there three Wendover properties, the company could be easily looking at a first time cost between $3,000 to $4,000 for the first year and depending on the rate of turnover or its employees a similar cost every year. If the ordinance was extended also to cocktail servers the cost would be increased dramatically.
Faced with those dollars and cents, the three councilmen employed by the Peppermill; Gorum, Emily Carter and Roy Briggs joined Gutierrez in voting to table the issue but not before Blake loudly announced he still supported the ordinance and Supp.
Blake also questioned mayor andersen’s position that there were enough safe guards on the industry and the Mayor’s original stance that the ordinance was an example of over regulation of the city’s businesses.
The testy exchange between the two was cut short when Andersen called for a vote and the proposed ordinance was tabled indefinitely on a 4-1 vote.
A one term councilman Blake withdrew his name from the upcoming city election this November and announced he would be leaving the city as soon as he found a new job and sold his Wendover home last month. Blake was forced to resign from West Wendover Junior High School for undisclosed reasons.
The vote to table the ordinance was the first time the council pulled back from adopting an ordinance regulating business in over a decade. In that time the council has adopted laws that require finger printing and back ground checks of all new businesses, severely curtailed business signage and required council approval for the color of paint businesses use among other things.
“Personally I have always been opposed to these ridiculous laws the city puts on business,” Andersen said. “The city doesn’t gain any benefit from them except to increase its power. It’s nice to see the other councilmen wake up and realize that we don’t need any more ordinances.”
Apart from not imposing a new fee on the only growth industry West Wendover can boast. Election year politics may also be a factor in the changing of the minds of the council. While Blake is the very definition of a lame duck councilman gorum is seeking reelection and councilwoman carter is challenging andersen for mayor this November.
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