By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
A battle between Mike Jonas, owner of Cattails Bar and his neighbors went the way of the bar owner last week. The town board approved a liquor license renewal that several of the bar’s neighbors had opposed.
Several neighbors spoke during public comments at the June 16 meeting about what they referred to as broken promises by Jonas to address the issues about the bar, 2517 North Shore Dr. However, some former employees and customers also spoke out – claiming much progress has been made, many of the allegations are untrue and the complaints are the product of a few neighbors who will never be happy with the situation.
The central complaint from neighbors was that Jonas invited them to Cattails and offered to make a list with them of things he needed to address as he applied for a permit to build a deck that would provide an outdoor space for smoking. Jonas’ attorney admitted Jonas should never had done that and pointed out the list was simply something he agreed to with his neighbors, not something the town had imposed on him. His efforts to build a deck failed, he said and therefore the list is no longer valid.
One neighbor said Jonas claimed to have addressed many of the things on the list but has never produced any list detailing what he’s referring to. Jonas responded by naming several things he has done with the $40,000 he said he has invested in the bar since buying it, though how many of those were specifically related to the list he made with the neighbors was unclear.
One former employee made several allegations about Jonas not keeping windows open like he is supposed to help deal with smoking, and bartenders working while drunk. Jonas said the employee who made those complaints was let go and has an axe to grind.
Despite several allegations, the only two citations the bar has received from the police department were related to smoking, which would not give the town a legal reason to deny a liquor license. There was an investigation related to a gambling allegation but the bar was never cited.
Attorney Rich Scholze said the board could decide not to renew the license if the allegations were determined to be true, but it would have to go through a process that would include giving Jonas notice ahead of time with a list of reasons for the denial.
Police Chief Ray Clark said the police department has been called to Cattails four times since Jonas took over and he did not consider that an excessive number.
Board member Mary Knipper said the town has a responsibility to all the license holders in the town and pushed for a better ordinance. She also warned Jonas that he has heard the complaints and should address them. Fellow board member Kim Jedlicka said Jonas should be more neighborly.
Chairman Larry Malsch said the Administrative Committee recommended denial of the license renewal due to the number of complaints. Lynnette Phillips said the board’s decision should be made without emotion clouding it but agreed Jonas needs to be a better neighbor.
Malsch made a motion to deny the renewal but that motion died due to a lack of a second. Knipper then made the successful motion to approve.
Read more coverage from the meeting in the June 25 Delavan Enterprise.
