At this morning’s Licensing & Permit Committee meeting, Chairman Ray Misner stated that, “rather than focusing on fighting, he’d rather focus on little things until April (until after the mayoral election).”  This has to do with Mayor Keith Bosman’s vetoing the Common Council’s vote on reorganizing the structure of the Licensing & Permit Committee into a commission.  To read more background on this issue, click here:  Common Council Upholds Mayor’s Veto.

His intent, he said, has always been to “try to make it better for licensed businesses.  But, it doesn’t seem that we are in a position for reform.  There is a difference of leadership, the third floor (of the Kenosha Municipal Building) and the aldermanic level.  There is not a relationship there.  So, in the best interests of the community, I have been thinking about this over the last week, and I’ve decided to back off a bit.”

Misner also stated that he has heard comments about Kenosha being ”anti-business.”  “But,” he said, “sometimes the public doesn’t understand what goes on behind the scenes.  We need to do a better job talking about things.”  He stated that he decided not to resurrect the vetoed ordinance.  He also stated that he’s going to be “bringing it down a notch.  The big reforms will have to wait until after April.  There are a lot of things wrong in the licensing process.  At times, they have been ‘anti-business.’  But, this will give us five or six months to focus on the little things.  There will be no big battles.  The taxi cab licensing reorganization will be on a future agenda.  We will continue to make small adjustments here and there where we can.  We will still try to clean up the issues that have to do with the Finance Committee’s jurisdiction.  Rather than squabbling back and forth, I’ve decided to grow up and agree on what we can agree on.  We want to be considered ‘pro-business.’”

Other business conducted at the meeting included:  one new bartender’s license was approved; two were denied.  Another was approved, subject to 75 demerit points.  The application of CHED, LLC (Christopher Groves, Agent) for permission to maintain the beer/liquor license (not open for business within 90 days) located at 2200 – 60th Street (Pub 22), was deferred for 45 days.  The application of R & V Development, Inc. (Robert T. Latessa, Agent) for a beer/liquor license located at 5515 – 6th Avenue (Brat Stop Too), to be effective November 22, 2011, was approved.  The application of Gianni’s Restaurant & Lounge, LLC (Marissa Kowal, Agent) for a beer/liquor license located at 4814 Sheridan Road (Gianni’s Restaurant & Lounge), to be effective November 22, 2011, with a recommendation from the city attorney to grant subject to 20 demerit points, was deferred until next week’s special meeting to be held immediately before the Common Council meeting.  The application of Rustic Ventures, LLC (Valerie Chumbley, Agent) for a beer/liquor license located at 510 – 56th Street (Rustic Road Brewing Company) to be effective November 22, 2011, was approved.  The application of Amanda Murphy, for an amusement and recreation enterprise supervisor’s license located at 4237 Green Bay Road (Monkey Joe’s), with a recommendation from the city attorney to deny based on material police record and false application, was deferred for 30 days.