Saugus board chairman defends liquor license decision

SAUGUS – Despite some fall out from area liquor store owners and Saugus Speaks Out, Selectmen Chairman Peter Rossetti stands behind his decision to grant the Lincoln Avenue White Hen Pantry a liquor license.Selectmen voted 3-2 to grant the convenience store a beer and wine license last week with Michael Kelleher and Janette Fasano opposing the plan.Phil Barbanti, owner of Guy’s Liquors on Main Street called the vote asinine while Ellen Faiella of Saugus Speaks Out said it was disappointing.Barbanti said he was shocked by the vote, considering residents voted 2-1 last year against a statewide proposition that would have allowed beer and wine to be sold in convenience stores.Faiella voiced similar concerns, but only issued a short statement on the record.”Saugus Speaks Out is extremely disappointed and surprised by the actions taken by the Board of Selectmen in regards to this issue and we plan to address it further,” she said Thursday.Rossetti was not put off by the remarks.”No one protested at the hearing,” he said. “And no one called prior to the hearing but one person.”Rossetti said only the owner of the Hamilton Street White Hen called to make sure people knew it wasn’t his store requesting the license.Rossetti said he agreed to support the license for several reasons, including the fact that the store had adequate parking, room to store inventory on site, was not near any churches or schools and there is no history of violence in the area. He said a petition signed by 300 residents supporting the initiative also impressed him.However, he also said it would be presumptuous to say the board has no standing in refusing other convenience stores that request a beer and wine license.Kelleher said it concerned him that by granting the license it would set the stage for other convenience stores to not only request, but receive beer and wine licenses.Rossetti said each application would be taken on a case by case basis, which is why he did in fact vote against Proposition 1 last November.”Proposition 1 was a blanket proposal that allowed for anyone to come out and sell beer and wine,” he said. “I view that as totally different and I believe other board members did too.”Rossetti said he was surprised the vote seems to have caused such controversy, but he does not regret his decision.