The Observation Deck

I read yesterday in the SunPapers that the city is now trying to shut McCarthy's down, for a slew of reasons that go back to the original owner, who now owns Lakewood Lanes aka "Put In Bay in Lakewood."

I find this more than a little odd

Didn't the city just try to pay for a parking lot for the same punch palace?


Just curious.


.

http://www.sunnews.com/news/2006/part1/0629/WMCARTHY.htm


City may ask to revoke
McCarthy's liquor license


By Lisa Novatny
Staff Writer

June 29, 2006

McCarthy's Ale House's $2 Tuesdays may soon come to an end.

The Lakewood law department and administration have recommend to council that the establishment's liquor license transfer be opposed. If the transfer is denied, the watering hole will no longer be able to serve alcohol.

The objection initially arose when Brent Lawanski, the former owner of McCarthy's, filed to transfer the license over to current owner, John Ashworth. Ashworth bought the bar, located at 16918 Detroit Ave., on Oct. 1, 2005 for $700,000.

In the past two and a half years, police have been called 118 times about reports from the establishment.

According to Tom Corrigan, city assistant law director, the disturbances included four overcrowding complaints, 10 complaints about underage drinking, 15 theft offenses, 17 disorderly conduct offenses and 35 noise complaints.

Last year, two assaults and one felonious assault occurred at McCarthy's and the year before that three additional assaults were reported.

"The underlying question is . . . will the continuing sale of alcohol at the premise seriously and negatively affect the welfare of the community and its surroundings," Tom Corrigan said.

While the Ohio Board of Liquor Control has the ultimate decision regarding whether or not the license will be objected, the municipality is required to do its own investigation, providing facts to back their claim.



For the rest of the story, see your local Sun newspaper.

© 2006 Sun Newspapers
Go to The Sun News www.sunnews.com home page

I am curious.

When I hear citizens complaining about bars, the number one bar that I hear complaints about is Johnny Malloys.

There were 118 complaints against McCarthy's. How many were there against Malloys and the other bars in Lakewood. It would be interesting to see them ranked.

I would venture that McCarthy's is not number 1 or even number 2 or 3 - but I could be wrong.

I hear more stories about crazy things happening at McCarthy's than anywhere else in Lakewood, but that is just what I hear on the street...not a scientific study.

Doug

Lynn Farris wrote:I am curious.

When I hear citizens complaining about bars, the number one bar that I hear complaints about is Johnny Malloys.

There were 118 complaints against McCarthy's. How many were there against Malloys and the other bars in Lakewood. It would be interesting to see them ranked.

I would venture that McCarthy's is not number 1 or even number 2 or 3 - but I could be wrong.

Sounds like an interesting article, Lynn.

McCarthy's is going through this because of the liquor license transfer, so the Safety committee is examining the situation. Ed Fitzgerald heads up that committee.

So in other words, a bar can do anything it wants, as long as they don't try to transfer the liquor license? (and as long as any signs comply with city codes)

I know there was a big uproar when Johnny Malloy's wanted to expand, but they were permitted to expand anyway (into their own parking lot, of all places, when parking was one of the reasons for the uproar).

Occasionally, I hear of bars in other cities punished by not being able to sell alcohol for a couple days or a couple weeks, but I never hear much about this in Lakewood.

With the way many bars in Lakewood and other cities overcrowd, I think we have been fortunate that there have not been more tragedies like Great White. E.g. last time I was at ATC a couple years ago, it was like sardines...took about 10 minutes just to get to the restroom, and about another 10 minutes to get out of the place. You practically have to push people out of the way, especially since some people's brains can't take much alcohol. I am not trying to bash ATC, and I know they have a lot of fans--I'm sure they haven't done anything that many other bars haven't also done.

In another city, I know of one bar that was even punished for improperly moving alcohol from another bar with the same owner. I.e. One night Bar A ran out of Beer X, so Bar B gave Bar A some of Bar B's Beer X. That seems a little strict, but maybe there was a reason behind it.

Doug

People need a safe place to get into fights, without resulting in gun battles. The fights are broken up before anything bad happens, so it is good.

People need a safe place to get into fights, without resulting in gun battles

Excellent point Ryan, but one that's rarely made. But, you're absolutely right. If you're really itching to beat the living crap out of someone, its best to do it where the worst that can happen is a simple assault, as opposed to the heavier felonies associated when weapons are present.

I wonder if the intensity of these combats decrease as we move further and further from the core city? Guns and knives W.25 to around W. 65, black jacks, pool cues and bottles up to W117, fists, feet and teeth through Rocky River, drinks in the face in Bay, and by the time you get Westlake, its just stomping feet and slamming doors.

Jeff

hey...it worked on Bonanza

What is this "Beer X?" Uno Equis?

Hmmm...the first rule of McCarthy's is "Don't talk about McCarthy's."

*
To Doug.

Were the examples you cited of bars being "punished" in Ohio? That certainly doesn't sound like Ohio liquor policy to me.
To those who wonder, yes, a municipality has limited power to control liquour licenses. The state board has the final decision.
The idea, I'm told, is that a state board would be less likely to be corrupted than if liquor licenses were controlled by local bosses and kingpins.

In other words, you can't get a liquor license (or have your competitor's revoked) by dropping a briefcase full of cash on the mayor's back porch.

One note. The residents DO have another option. Any precinct, I believe, can vote to make itself 'dry'. No bars. No liquor. That's kind of the death penalty, but I know it's been done.

Whoa Everyone

In an effort for full disclosure both McCarthy's and Johnny Malloy's are and were advertisers in the paper.

Johnny Malloy's first. While I do hear neighbors complain about people leaving Johnny Malloys early in the morning, I rarely if ever hear them on the police scanner. Tim is a very responsible bar owner and has made it clear to me and the city that he would be more than happy to purchase homes around the bar for parking and a noise buffer. Tim has also talked with me at length about helping a citizen watch group even offering to pay some of the expenses as have Around The Corner and The Rush Inn to name a few. I would take 100 Tim O'Malley's as business owners in Lakewood. This week he has had people painting trim and cleaning the place up.

McCarthy's on the other hand has always been a war zone. I know of at least two fights that had groups of more than twenty fighting including tables through windows and out onto the street. This is one of the reasons I was so surprised that the city would work to get a bar in weekly violation a bigger parking lot. Many of the violations are occupancy, and a larger lot would only make that worse.

I believe that any bar owner can lose a license for a variety of reasons but generally the state tries to help bar owners with probation and fines instead of closing them down, after all they are businesses that pay heavy into state coffers.


.

Dear all,

Please be advised that Councilman Michael Dever has scheduled a meeting of Council's Public Safety Committee for this Friday, July 14 at 4 p.m. at city hall to discuss the liquor permit transfer at McCarthy's. Should further discussion be required of City Council, a follow-up meeting will be held Monday, July 17 at 5:45 p.m.

Understanding that it's difficult for folks to attend these workday meetings on such short notice, I've asked the new owner of the bar, John Ashworth, to host a neighborhood meeting at McCarthy's this coming Sunday, July 19 at 1 p.m. Here you'll have a chance to air out your grievances and make suggestions on how our bars including McCarthy's can do a better job of keeping peace in the neighborhood. Mr. Ashworth has agreed to host the meeting and extend himself to the residents.

The outcome of our meeting Sunday may or may not impact Council's vote on the permit transfer, so I suggest those of you who are interested in this make every effort to attend.

Best wishes,

Kevin Butler
Councilman, Ward 1

Kevin Butler wrote:I've asked the new owner of the bar, John Ashworth, to host a neighborhood meeting at McCarthy's this coming Sunday, July 19 at 1 p.m.

My apologies. The date is Sunday, July 16.

KB