CAPE MAY, NJ – One Cape May County political leader this week is criticizing Governor Phil Murphy’s plan to put the horse before the cart when it came to allowing bars and restaurants to serve mixed drinks at their front door. Brendan Sciarra, head of the Cape May Democrat Party said Murphy’s Law that allowed for drink pickups caused problems with local law enforcement and turned sidewalks into barstools.
Sciarra is asking for Murphy to approve a measure that will allow these bars and restaurants to serve alcohol in outdoor seating areas where available.
“I call on the Governor to allow outdoor seating and reopen small retail businesses. Without outdoor seating, the sale of mixed drinks and cocktails which was recently reinstated has become an enforcement nightmare for municipal police departments because patrons have nowhere to go,” Sciarra said. “Sidewalks have become barstools. As customers wait for their dinner order, they grab a drink and congregate on the sidewalk leaving the police with the unenviable task to enforce the unenforceable.”
Sciarra said it is imperative that the Governor works with these establishments, confident they can operate within the Governor’s guidelines and CDC health and safety standards during COVID-19.
“By allowing outdoor seating and reopening small retail businesses with strict social distancing guidelines we can create a safer environment for patrons and level the playing field,” Sciarra said. “I understand the daunting challenge of balancing public health with economic survival. Restaurant owners, retailers, and their employees are dedicated hard-working citizens standing ready to be responsible stewards of the public health equipped to socially distance and will do a great job following guidelines to protect the health and safety of their customers. Corporate America is posting double-digit profits. The least we can do is give Main Street a chance to survive.”
