Residents of Odenville are awaiting round two on a wet/dry vote over Sunday alcohol sales, just one year after 71 “no” votes kept the St. Clair County town dry.
While residents voted 53.79 percent to 46.21 percent against Sunday sales, Mayor Rodney “Buck” Christian said dozens of residents tell him they didn’t know about the election in March 2016. He said the lack of awareness could explain the small turnout of only 132 voters out of more than 3,600 residents.
If residents vote to allow Sunday alcohol sales April 11, the town will join four other municipalities in the county who have gone wet — Moody, Pell City, Riverside and Springville.
Christian said a vote for allowing Sunday alcohol sales would be “good for economic development” and is important to attract new businesses in the area, The Anniston Star reported.
But Joe Godfrey, executive director of Alabama Citizens Action Program (ALCAP), said, “All proponents talk about is the money that will come to a community or the businesses that will come to the community. They will not tell the stories of people whose lives have been destroyed or the families that have been hurt … by alcohol use.”
States and cities that vote to allow alcohol sales “may experience a short-term cash windfall but loss of reliable income, coupled with increases in alcohol-related harm, will damage economic stability and public health in the long term,” according to ALCAP’s “Wet/Dry Issues” information at www.alcap.com.
Pastor Josh Burnham, who serves Bethel Baptist Church, Odenville, said he was unaware of any churches or organizations heavily campaigning at press time to keep the town dry, although he did note he knows “many people that do not support the sale of alcohol on Sunday.”
For resources on the risks of alcohol and wet/dry issues, visit alcap.com.
Share with others: