Revere commission to hold hearing on bar hours rollback

REVERE-Local residents and owners of 20 bars, clubs and restaurants impacted by a proposed 1 a.m. closing time get a chance to comment on the “last call” rollback on Jan. 10 at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall.Commission Chairman Michael Pepe said hearing notices will be sent to bar owners and others beginning next week. He said the hearing will be held in the City Council Chamber or the auditorium.The hearing will be similar to one scheduled on Nov. 28 at 6 p.m. in Lynn City Hall. That hearing is a follow up to a public forum held Oct. 2 where Lynn licensing officials approved a 1 a.m. closing time after hearing from bar owners, police and residents.Four bar owners went to court to block the rollback from a 2 a.m. closing time and a judge ordered the Lynn Licensing Board to hold another hearing.Pepe and fellow commissioners discussed the rollback during their Thursday meeting and agreed to hold the January hearing and another public session if the initial hearing runs too long and needs to be reconvened.?This isn?t just a perfunctory hearing. It?s going to be a very public process. It?s not a foregone conclusion that we will roll back hours. We?re going into this with an open mind,” Pepe said.Licensing Board records indicate 24 out of 47 establishments holding all alcoholic beverage licenses currently stay open until 2 a.m. but commission restrictions on license renewals and disciplinary action has halved the number who actually close at 2 a.m.Pepe and commissioners Thomas Henneberry and Linda Guinasso will make the decision on the rollback but others have weighed in on the move. Mayor Thomas Ambrosino in October said a 1 a.m. closing time is “worth serious discussion.”Like Pepe, Ambrosino does not want Revere to be the only city on Boston?s northern border to have a 2 a.m. closing time. If Revere approves the hour rollback, Saugus will be the sole community with a 2 a.m. closing time.Lynn bar owners, including some who vowed a legal challenge to the local board?s action, said they do a large volume of business between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.But rollback proponents called 2 a.m. closing times a magnet for drunk drivers and rowdy drinkers looking to get in a fight. Police Chief Terence Reardon plans to attend the Jan. 10 hearing and answer commission questions.