The no-21 crowd (I count myself among that) is on the offensive after defeating Rick Dobyns. From behind the Gazette moneywall:
A downtown bar owners’ group has released a laundry list of initiatives to reduce problem drinking in Iowa City but maintains that a 21-only ordinance would be unrealistic.
‘‘I don’t believe there’s support for that in the city; I don’t believe we’d have the support of the City Council,’’ said Leah Cohen, co-chairwoman of the Iowa City Alcohol Advisory Board, about enacting a law prohibiting anyone under the age of 21 from entering Iowa City bars.
‘‘In lieu of that, we need to look at what we can do,’’ said Cohen, who owns Bo-James, 118 E. Washington St.
Many of the proposals sent to the City Council and University of Iowa President David Skorton this week aren’t new. Included are calls for increased police bar checks, more training of bar staff, increased alcohol education for university students, promotion of non-alcohol events for young people and reduced advertising of drink specials.
The board, though, is recommending such potentially controversial ideas as taxes on bars and/or downtown businesses that are open past 11 p.m. and the legal identification of problem bars deserving of increased police attention.
Rejected were calls for new limits on beer kegs — it would drive people to hard liquor, the thinking goes — and inflexible zoning regulations to limit the number of downtown bars.
The recommendations come one year after the creation of the 10-member advisory board and will likely face their first consideration with a newly elected City Council.
Currently a 4-3 council majority is opposed to a 21-only ordinance.
Cohen is to speak briefly about the recommendations during the Tuesday night council meeting at City Hall.
Still, no one is mentioning my approach: lobbying the legislature for a change in the drinking age.
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