Winona voters approve alcohol

Voters within the city of Winona made history Tuesday allowing for legalization of alcohol sales within the city limits. Winona becomes the first jurisdiction within Smith County to become “wet” since the county went “dry” in 1939, according to a Tyler Morning Telegraph article.

“If we do this right, I believe it will be a great benefit for our town,” Winona mayor Rusty Smith said. “If we don’t do it right, it could be a detriment to our town. Regardless of which side of the alcohol issue you were on, we must all work together now to make this a positive influence on our town.”

Complete, but unofficial results show Proposition 1 — which legalizes the sale of all alcohol, including beer, wine and liquor inside Winona’s city limits — for off-premise consumption, approved 124-106, or 54 to 46 percent, respectively.

“I believe this is great news for our community, but the passage of the proposition was only the first step,” Smith said. “In order for this to bring the growth we are looking for, it needs to be managed properly.”

Sales for off-premise consumption allows retailers to sell alcohol to individuals to take home. Smith County voters rejected Proposition 1 during the May 9th election by a vote of 1,461 to 1,311 or 52 percent to 47 percent respectively.

Winona residents approved Proposition 2 during the May 9th election, which called for the legal sale of mixed beverages in some restaurants by food and beverage certificate holders only.

The vote comes after a 94-94 split vote during the May 9th election in which the Keep Precinct 4 Dry committee, led by Anwar Khalifa, found success in the vote. Members of the Citizen’s for Economic Growth challenged the results in June after claiming seven voters cast ballots illegally.

The voters had not changed their addresses prior to voting and did not live inside the city limits as required in the local option election, according to a report by the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

Citizen’s for Economic Growth filed a petition with an assigned judge who declared he could not compel all seven of the voters to reveal how they had voted.

Smith County Commissioners Court must canvass and approve the votes before the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission can begin processing retail permits for the sale of alcohol in Winona.

“The City Council is already taking action to pass new ordinances to regulate these new businesses,” Smith said. “The first of these new ordinances will regulate the sale of alcohol and the advertising associated with those sales.”

The Winona city limits lies within 15 miles of the University campus.