Why isn’t Mayor Pete Lewis speaking out against Initiatives 1100 and 1105?

For years, I have heard him speak out about how bad “tavern row” was for the city. How does he think having liquor available in grocery and convenience stores is going to impact the quality of life in the city? Does he think people who were drinking in the bars have disappeared from town just because “tavern row” is gone?

If there have been problems with public intoxication before, I believe they will only increase with the passage of these initiatives. I don’t think I want Auburn to become like downtown Seattle with people with substance abuse problems hanging around town intoxicated.

I can remember the mayor talking about how he didn’t want people coming downtown to the Auburn Avenue Theater and being accosted by intoxicated people. I remember him talking about how all the drunks would line up at the bars first thing in the morning and have to lean over to drink their drinks.

I would think the mayor would be trying to keep downtown a safe place to visit. I see development of the downtown area to try to make it more vital and a pleasant place to go to. I would hate to see that downtown became a place that no one would want to go to.

I moved here to get away from Seattle, to get away from these kind of things and to have my kids grow up in a safe place. Then there is the danger of an increase in drunken driving and teen drinking.

I know you can never completely get rid of these problems, but I think we need to do everything in our power to stop them.

I urge everyone to vote no on these initiatives to keep our community a safe and livable place.

– Dave Andrews