The Revere License Commission held a special meeting last Monday morning, June 8, in the City Council Chamber to discuss “accommodations for World Cup soccer viewing,” On hand for the session were chair Robert Selevitch, Liliana Monroy, and Dan Occena.
“The purpose of this special meeting is to discuss extending the hours of operation for licensed premises in the city and for public viewing areas during the World Cup,” said Selevitch.
The state legislature recently passed a bill that allows communities the choice of whether to extend the closing hours of establishments that serve alcohol from the present 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM during the World Cup games, which will extend through the end of July.
Interestingly, there were no proponents for the measure. However, there was significant opposition from city officials.
Rose Burns, an aide to Mayor Patrick Keefe, told the commissioners that the mayor’s office had not received any requests for the extended hours and was opposed to enlarging the hours.
“It is critical for the city to have a well thought-out plan and the paramount concern always is public safety,” said Burns. “But this bill was passed without enough time before the start of the World Cup….It is not prudent for the city to move forward with granting extensions until 3 AM for our licensed establishments and ‘social consumption districts’ because there has not been adequate time to create a comprehensive plan to ensure the safety of our residents, visitors, and property.”
Revere Police Capt. Thomas Malone also spoke in opposition to the proposal. “We realize that 3:00 AM is only an hour extension, but with other nearby cities closing at 1:00 AM, if they do not extend their hours to 2:00 AM, then we could see people rushing here to drink for an extra two hours,” said Malone.
Malone also noted that the department’s “overlap shifts” presently cover the hours of 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM, which means that with officers leaving at 3:00 AM, there will be minimal manning after 3:00 AM when the bars will be emptying out.
“We already are going to be spread thin with the World Cup games and the upcoming Sandcastle Festival, and this proposal will exacerbate the problem,” Malone added. “We’ve been planning for the World Cup since January, especially as to the watch parties. Our resources and plans have already been set. If we were to add this at the 11th hour, it would not be prudent. We would not be doing justice to the city in maintaining our goal of public safety.”
Police Chief Maria LaVita also spoke briefly against the extension, emphasizing the points raised by Malone.
The Revere Fire Department (RFD) also chimed in. “We are opposed to any increase in hours because we believe it will cause an exponential increase in services for medicals, assaults, and serious motor vehicle accidents,” said RFD Captain Mark Wolfgang.
“This clearly is something that the city is not prepared to take on,” said Occena. “Most of the matches will end by midnight and with the present closing hour, patrons and fans still will have plenty of time to celebrate until 2:00 AM.”
“After looking at the times of the games, It is not necessary to extend the hours to 3:00 AM,” added Monroy, who then made a motion, which was approved unanimously, to maintain the hours for both licensed establishments and public viewing spaces at 2:00 AM.
The board then considered allowing restaurants that presently may have a closing time earlier than 1:00 AM to stay open until 1:00 AM.
However, Capt. Malone also spoke against this proposal, as did Chief LaVita. Malone noted that even if the official closing time of these restaurants is 1:00 AM, it will present complications for the police depending on whether they serve alcohol.
Selevitch then presented a motion to keep all of the present licenses as they are, and his fellow members agreed.