Voters Approve Liquor Sales in Little Silver

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By Marion Lynch
LITTLE SILVER – The borough’s long dry spell is about to come to an end, with voters approving the sale of the first-ever on-premise consumption liquor license.
The binding referendum was approved 801-736 in unofficial results posted by the Monmouth County Clerk’s office Wednesday.
Resident Matt Kelly, who collected 500 signatures on a petition last year that led to the referendum, is happy with the results.
“It’s a good thing. The people have spoken and now it’s up to the council to make something that works,” he said.
As a homebuilder and 11-year Little Silver resident, Kelly says he has seen the borough’s demographics change.
“Why isn’t there a place to get a drink in town?” is a frequent question he hears from young families who want to move into the borough, he said.
Kelly told the Two River Times last month that if the license is approved he would like to build a family-friendly restaurant and bar on the west side of the railroad tracks. Kelly, along with his brother Michael, owns Oceanport-based Kelly Builders.
“Whether I’m the successful bidder or not, the community wants this. It will be great for our town, great for our social lives, to stay close to home instead of having to go out of town to socialize or have a drink with dinner while you’re with your family,” he said.
Mayor Robert C. Neff Jr. said the Borough Council is ready to move ahead with an auction for the license, but there’s some work to be done before a bar can open its doors.
“This is not a full-speed ahead kind of thing. We will take our time and we’ll make sure it’s done properly,” he said.
The council will have to vote to amend the current alcohol control ordinance, which doesn’t permit by-the-glass sales at any establishment.
“It’s important for everyone to know that there will be several public hearings,” Neff said. “People will be able to voice their concerns. It wasn’t an overwhelming victory and there are people in town who have concerns about things like location, hours of operation, and the size of the establishment. All of those things will be considered by the council and the public will have a chance to be heard.”
Next, the council will work with the state Division of Alcohol Beverage Control to hold a public auction of the license. Current law limits the issuance of one license per 3,000 residents. With a population of less than 6,000, Little Silver would be limited to one license, which would go to the highest qualified bidder.
Neff declined to speculate on the potential windfall for the borough’s coffers.
“It’s hard to tell. We don’t know what a license may bring at public auction,” he said.
There are only two places in Little Silver where liquor is sold, The Little Silver Bottle Shop, which sells beer, wine and spirits and the Acme Market, which sells unrefrigerated beer and wine. Diners are permitted to bring their own beer and wine to drink in borough restaurants.
Previous attempts to pass such a measure failed – once in 1976, when the measure lost by 800 votes and most recently in 1981, when it lost by a 2 to 1 margin.
“Public safety will be paramount,” Neff stressed. “Everybody with a stake in the effects that an establishment like this will have will have an opportunity to be heard.”
While official tallies weren’t yet available, Neff said voter turnout appeared to be high.
He said that Borough Clerk Kimberly Jungfer reported there was steady traffic throughout the day at all polling locations, and that the referendum probably generated a fair amount of interest.
Neff was elected to a second term as mayor in an uncontested race, along with incumbent councilmen David Gilmour and Glenn Talavera.
“It’s a special privilege to be elected to a second term because of the people I work with. I can’t say enough about our employees and the other people on the council,” he said.

Local 2015 election coverage on The Two River Times

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