State liquor board rejects Seattle’s proposal to extend bar closing times
Washington's State Liquor Control Board on Wednesday rejected requests by the city of Seattle’s to change rules to allow nightclubs to serve liquor later than the state’s current 2 a.m. cutoff.
Board members Sharon Foster and Ruthann Kurose said they were concerned about public safety in voting against the proposal.
A large majority of Spokane citizens voiced strong opposition to the idea during an April public meeting at City Hall.
Law enforcement agencies, including Spokane's Police Department, strongly opposed the idea.
The two commissioners said they were concerned granting the request would come about the same time commercial outlets will be selling liquor under I-1183 and sales could increase five-fold.
Board member Chris Marr supported the proposal and said the defeat represented a lost opportunity for the board to define a new role for itself in an era of increased access to alcohol
Marr, a former state senator from Spokane, said the rule change would have had the opportunity to address public safety concerns. And then, after the rule was formulated, the board would have been able to review how well Seattle had address neighborhood concerns.