BENTON COUNTY — Benton County is a dry county. Or at least that’s what it claims.
For many of the transplants who have caused the population in northwest Arkansas to explode in recent years, one of the first things they learn about is the dry county. Restaurants that serve liquor are not just restaurants. They are private clubs. Even hotels that serve liquor have to change their floor plans to keep anyone drinking alcohol out of the view of those checking in for a room.
In order to drink, you are supposed to be a card-holding club member. There are supposed to be books to sign when you enter an establishment. Some people do, and others don’t. Some of the more than 100 private clubs registered in Benton County don’t even have the books at the door.
Last year, an effort to turn Benton County wet failed to get enough signatures on petitions.
With well more than a year to go before the next general election, a new nonprofit organization, known as Citizens for Choice, has formed. Members are determined to do away with what one person refers to as “ dry-county nonsense” once and for all.
“ Who are we kidding ? ” asked David Routon, president of Citizens for Choice. “ Everyone knows this thing is ridiculous. Everyone is walking around figuring some day this whole dry-county thing will eventually wear itself out and go away. No one pays attention to it. And if a restaurant is having people sign the book, you can bet it’s because they’ve recently been nailed by the Alcohol and Beverage Commission. ”
Routon and Citizens for Choice will begin building momentum for their cause at 8: 30 a. m. May 24 at Oscar’s Steakhouse in the Scottsdale Center in Rogers. The group is spearheading an effort to get the approximately 39, 000 signatures needed to put the wet / dry issue on the ballet for the 2008 election.
While many Benton County residents scoff at the dry-county status, getting the signatures of 38 percent of registered voters will be no easy task. As of May 1, there were 82, 625 registered voters in Benton County, meaning the organization will have to contact at least 31, 398 registered voters. What complicates matters even more is the fact that every one of those signatures has to be verified.
Routon believes those challenges can be overcome. And he said the biggest mistake made during the last effort was not holding community leaders accountable.
“ We have to hold our leaders accountable, ” Routon said. “ These people have to have opinions. That’s why they’re in these positions of leadership. The people want to know where they stand. ”
“ This time, we’re not going to tolerate the answer, ‘ I have no opinion, ’” he said. “ If you’re in that kind of leadership position, you’re making a fool of yourself if you say you have no opinion. No one believes you. You can see right through all of that. Someone needs to get some guts and say what they really believe rather than hiding behind ‘ no opinion. ’”
The fact that Routon’s group will be gathering at Oscar’s in Rogers provides a backdrop for exactly why Citizens for Choice believe so strongly in turning Benton County into a wet county.
“ Liquor revenue is not the issue here, ” Routon said. “ We’ve seen the report, and that wouldn’t have a significant impact on Benton County. It’s about more than that.
“ In the Scottsdale Center alone, there are nine restaurants that serve alcohol, ” he said. “ The only way you can get alcohol out of one of those places is if it’s in your system. We have all these dry-county rules that actually make our streets more dangerous. Is it not inherently safer to have packaged stores, where you walk in, make your purchase and take it home ? Isn’t that safer for everyone ?”
Routon suggested that the drive for this change goes even beyond that. He contends the dry-county rules are viewed as a joke. He said many families relocating to the area are confused and irritated by the dry-county status, especially when very few people are able to explain to them why the rules exist. Moreover, new businesses, such as hotels and restaurants, have to jump through hoops in order to open their doors in Benton County. That may not keep businesses from coming to Benton County now, but Routon suggests that will change when Benton County’s population growth levels off, erasing that extra incentive.
“ How does any of this make sense ? ” Routon asked. “ I need statistics. I need common sense. I need something from our elected leaders or anyone who’s opposed to the idea of a wet county.
“ Benton County is called a dry county, but look at the number of private clubs here. Look right down the road to Wal-Mart. There are Budweiser and Miller vendors officed here in Bentonville. Wal-Mart sells more alcohol than anyone I know, just not in Benton County. ”
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