Hamden OKs Booze Sales At Public Events

Hamden CT

20 April, 2022

12:05 AM

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By Nora Grace-Flood, New Haven Independent HAMDEN, CT — It's official: Alcoholic beverages will now be up for grabs at Hamden's town events. Hamden's Legislative Council voted 13 to one Monday night in favor of allowing alcohol sales on a case-by-case basis during town celebrations and gatherings. Now vendors will be able to serve beer and wine at municipal-hosted events — as long as the mayor and police chief, or their chosen designees, sign off on the specific place, time and date. (Read more about the plan here.) Two representatives, Councilwomen Betty Wetmore and Marjorie Bonadies, expressed opposition to the plan on Monday. "I hate to sound like an old goat," Wetmore said, but "I don't like the idea." "I am concerned about the children … particularly with the violence that's been happening lately at various gatherings." Bonadies asked whether the new legislation would inhibit concertgoers and Hamden Fest attendees from bringing their own alcohol to events. "That's certainly not the intention here," Chief of Staff Sean Grace said. The new ordinance states that alcohol should still be prohibited from school grounds — and does not include any clarification on what policing of public consumption of alcohol should look like. While some representatives voiced resistance to the idea, the majority of the council supported the change. "Emphatic yes!" Cory O'Brien voted. The New Haven Independent is a not-for-profit public-interest daily news site founded in 2005.