By Shavonne Potts
Salisbury Post
LANDIS ó To the surprise of some, the ballot issue didn’t generate much comment. And Tuesday, town voters quietly approved liquor by the drink.
According to the Rowan County Board of Election, 728 Landis residents cast votes in the referendum. Of those, 401, or 55.08 percent, voted in favor of allowing liquor by the drink, while 327, or 44.92 percent, voted against it.
Landis Mayor Dennis Brown said he thought voters realized “this could be used as an economic development tool.”
Brown said the town was between a rock and a hard place with its neighbors in Kannapolis and China Grove both allowing liquor by the drink.
“If we didn’t do it, we would be left out,” he said Tuesday night.
Liquor by the drink is a tool to help attract the type of businesses that Landis citizens are looking for, Brown added.
There hasn’t been much talk about mixed drinks in Landis.
“It was very quiet. I really had very few people say anything to me about it at all. It wasn’t a lot of public reaction for or against,” Brown said.
The mayor said he believes everyone had their minds made up how they would vote.
Brown said he’s not sure if businesses will want to get permits quickly.
“We may see a lag time as much as a year. I wouldn’t be surprised at all,” he said.
Brown said neither he nor town staff went out to campaign or solicit votes in support of the referendum.
But the vote to allow liquor by the drink says Landis residents see change coming, he said.
“In plain and simple terms, they are looking to the future. We have a lot of exciting things coming up in the future around us.
“… I’m glad that we’ve got this particular tool to look to the future.”
Contact Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253 or spotts@salisburypost.com.