Alcohol licenses stir controversy at Selma City Council meeting

Alcohol licenses caused a flareup at the Oct. 14 Selma City Council meeting.

The city council had before them several transfers of licenses to sell alcohol, all of which passed unanimously. But the council disagreed loudly over approving licenses for two new package stores on Highland Avenue.

City Councilperson Christie Thomas Young has stated her opposition to approving additional alcohol licenses in the past. At the Oct. 14 meeting, she read a statement into the record that she “would not support growth that lacks purpose for long-term benefit for the people we serve.”

“Selma does not suffer from a lack of alcohol access,” Young said. “What the city does lack is intentional economic development that builds opportunities for families and attracts quality businesses. If we go down this road (of adding more package stores and smoke shops), we’ll never get anybody coming here.”

Councilman Sam Randolph disagreed, saying that approving alcohol licenses for service stations and grocery stores and not approving licenses for small package stores is “discrimination, and that’s wrong.”

“That’s a lawsuit,” Randolph said.

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“We’ve got to be fair and treat everybody with dignity and respect,” Randolph said. “You don’t want some to have a liquor license because of who they are.”

The disagreement got so heated that Council President Billy Young gaveled the discussion to an end as he asked the council to “remember the rules of the chamber. We don’t attack each other.”

New licenses for Selma Sprits and Tobacco on 1310 W Highland Ave. and Selma Liquor and Smoke Shop LLC on 210 Highland Ave. failed on a 4-4 vote.

City Attorney Major Madison Jr. said that “there is no reason why” the business owners can’t bring the license requests to the city council again. A new city council will be seated on Nov. 3.  

The council approved license transfers for the Curb Market on Highway 80 and voted to suspend the rules to approve the alcohol license for the new Aldi on West Dallas Avenue. Two other licenses were advanced and will be voted on at a later council meeting.

Councilpersons Michael Johnson, Randolph, Lesia James and Atkin Jemison voted in favor of each license. Billy Young, Christie Young, Troy Harvill and Jannie Thomas voted against the new licenses but voted in favor of the transfers.