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Whitewater Township voters to weigh in on liquor license

WHITEWATER TOWNSHIP — The town of Whitewater may not be dry for much longer.

Town Clerk Jayne Haskey verified enough signatures and submitted the petition to Walworth County by Tuesday’s deadline, meaning a referendum will be on the April 3 ballot.

So, residents will determine whether or not to allow the town to issue liquor licenses.

Town Chairman Ron Fero said that the town board received 112 signatures on the petition, and even though a few were thrown out, more than the required 104 names were verified in this, a third attempt by supporters to get wine, beer and liquor flowing at area establishments such as the Fuzzy Pig/Heritage Room restaurant and the Whitewater Country Club.

“They had to get a certain percentage of names according to how many people voted in the last gubernatorial election, and once they were verified, the township, by statute, turns it over to the county,” Fero said. “I really don’t know how it will go, because there’s a group for it and a group of people against it. The votes are going to tell.”

One person who’s happy to see the process continue is Joe Carollo, who’s been general manager at the country club for the past five years. The club can serve liquor -- plus food and rounds of golf -- but only to members under its current Class B license.

“We can sell wine, beer and liquor, but not to the general public, only to members because of our private status,” Carollo said. “This would allow anybody to be one of our patrons. I’m not 100 percent sure, but my understanding is that the last time there was three or four words that could be misconstrued and it just missed being passed.

“I would hate to guess how it’ll go, but I’ve heard that the Fuzzy Pig and other places are behind it,” Carollo added. “I understand some people’s concerns, especially those around Whitewater Lake, and the negative aspect that it could potentially lead to somebody doing something stupid.”

Carollo said that the country club’s location adjacent to the city of Whitewater could lead to annexation efforts should the referendum fail this time.

“The board and our members have discussed the annexation issue, but we’d have to check into the cost and how the whole process works before moving forward,” he said. “But it’s definitely a possibility.”

Is Whitewater Township dry? Not exactly

(Read all of this week's stories from Walworth County Sunday HERE. )