Vote on Alcohol Sales Divides a Utah Town Where Few Drink

DAN FROSCH
November 17, 2013

Beer sales are now allowed at Maverik, the only convenience store in a town that was founded by Mormon pioneers.

After all, this quiet town near the Idaho border, founded by Mormon pioneers, had a longstanding ban on alcohol sales. And in keeping with the tenets of the Mormon Church, few people in Hyde Park drank at all.

But this month, after a long and bitter battle, residents voted nearly two to one to allow alcohol sales, making Hyde Park one of the last bastions to loosen its rules on drinking in this button-down state, where liquor laws have grown less restrictive in recent years.

“This was the most emotional issue I’ve seen in Hyde Park,” said Bryan Cox, the mayor, who supported overturning the ban. “People were passionate on this, one way or the other.”

Alcohol has had a quirky, complicated history in Utah, as lawmakers have had to consider the powerful influence of the Mormon Church, which frowns upon drinking.

From the end of Prohibition until the late 1960s, bar patrons had to bring their own bottles, or store them in tavern lockers. Those laws eventually gave way to a system that required people to pay for a club membership to order drinks.

The hospitality industry continued to push steadily to ease regulations. In 2009, state lawmakers joined with Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to eliminate the membership requirement, allowing bars to serve any patron of legal age.

Still, vestiges of Utah’s rigidity remain. Restaurants can now serve wine, beer and liquor, but most drinks must be prepared behind a partition that has come to be known as the “Zion Curtain.”
The question of whether to allow beer sales in Hyde Park unmasked painful divisions. Neighbors argued over what it meant to be Mormon. Some emphasized the economic benefits of alcohol sales. Others stayed quiet, afraid they would be ostracized for weighing in.

The debate started simmering last year, after the City Council voted 3 to 2 to allow the Maverik convenience store — the only such store in town — to sell beer. But some wanted Hyde Park’s 3,900 residents to have a say. Opponents of alcohol sales gathered enough signatures to put the ban to a citywide referendum before the new ordinance took effect.

At heated public hearings, proponents of selling beer said fliers that were placed in people’s mailboxes implied that drinkers were undesirable. Those against the sales said their campaign signs had been stolen or vandalized.

Kathy Reck, who helped lead the opposition campaign, said she worried that selling alcohol would lead to public health troubles.

Ms. Reck, who has an administrative job at nearby Utah State University, said opponents feared being criticized as too devout. The Mormon Church, known formally as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, teaches members not to drink, and has supported Utah’s strict regulations.

“I think people were afraid that if they spoke out about how they truly believed, they would be persecuted as if it was a religious issue,” she said. “I thought I was moving into this wonderful L.D.S. community where everyone would stand up and speak. I’ve been a little disillusioned.”

For many, allowing the sales represented an economic boon to this city of wide, sycamore-lined streets at the base of the Wasatch mountain range. Besides Maverik, Hyde Park has few retail businesses.
Bret Randall, a city councilman, said that even if most residents abstained from drinking, Hyde Park should not force others to do the same.

“Being a member of the Latter-day Saints, I understand the arguments against it,” said Mr. Randall, who is a police lieutenant in neighboring Logan, where alcohol is sold.
Mr. Randall said he had witnessed the effects of alcohol abuse firsthand through his job.

“But I’m also a huge advocate of free agency,” he said. “You’re an adult, and you have choices. Although I don’t use alcohol or advocate for its use, I certainly understand people’s right to drink.”
Mr. Randall’s stance has become more commonplace, as the state seeks to balance religious tradition with economic and social realities.

“It’s been a lot easier for people from outside of Utah to get a drink without going through the restrictions of a private membership,” said John Valentine, a state senator from Utah County who helped draft the 2009 law that removed the membership requirement. “If they just want a drink, they can go get a drink.”

In addition to bars, liquor stores operated by the state sell alcohol in Utah. But, as in some other states, convenience stores like Maverik can sell only low-alcohol beer.

Danielle Mattiussi, the executive director of regional operations for the Maverik chain, said she expected overall sales at its Hyde Park store to increase by about 25 percent.

“We’re looking forward to selling beer,” she said. “We’ve been a part of this community for over 20 years.”

Hard feelings may linger. Some residents expressed disappointment that their community was changing; others said drinkers had been unfairly derided.

But residents vowed to put aside their differences. Hyde Park is a place where you cannot avoid your neighbors — in town, public meetings or church.

Last week, with the new ordinance in effect, the city presented Maverik with its alcohol license. A large banner flapped from the store’s entrance.
“Thank you Hyde Park,” it read.