Sunday beer, wine sales in Ottawa inch their way toward vote

OTTAWA COUNTY -- Pete Grimm says the time has come for Ottawa County to allow the sale of beer and wine -- takeout and by the glass -- on Sundays.

An insurance agent who has lived in the county for more than 30 years, Grimm signed a petition calling for a vote on the issue this fall and agreed to get others to sign.

"I felt it's been unfair for people not to have a choice" whether to drink on Sunday or not, said Grimm, 57, who lives in Park Township.

So Grimm and others who would like to see the ban on Sunday sales lifted were in a festive mood Tuesday, as the Say Yes to Sunday Committee presented county elections officials with 42,821 signatures to put on the Nov. 4 ballot proposal to legalize beer and wine sales across the county. That's 5,000 signatures more than the 37,756 needed to put the measure before voters.

"I think it's a wonderful opportunity for people to vote and decide whether they want a glass of wine or beer in their own community on Sunday," Grimm said.

Meanwhile, Holland Township voters may have a separate proposal to legalize Sunday beer and wine sales, as backers Tuesday turned in more than 4,200 signatures to place the proposal before voters. At least 3,694 signatures are needed to put the measure on the ballot.

"Sunday sales of beer and wine in Holland Township will give a tremendous boost to the local economy," said Joyce Verplank Hatton, a business owner who spearheaded the township petition drive.

Both petition drives must be checked to determine the validity of signatures -- in Ottawa County's case, it's a process that could take as long as three weeks, County Clerk Dan Krueger said.

"As long as I've been here, we've never had this kind of petition drive," said Krueger, who has been clerk for 30 years.

Ottawa is the only county in Michigan that prohibits the sale of beer and wine on Sundays, the result of a 1976 vote in which 54 percent of the more than 63,000 voters who cast ballots approved a ban on Sunday sales between 2 a.m. and midnight. The Sunday sale of mixed drinks and other spirits is allowed under a 1981 county board decision.

As of Tuesday, there was no word of organized opposition to lifting the Sunday ban.

Ray Klingenberg, a Zeeland resident who fought an unsuccessful effort to keep that city dry in 2006, said he hasn't heard of any effort to keep Ottawa dry on Sundays.

"It's being served anyway," Klingenberg said, referring to liquor sales on Sundays.

Opponents of the petition drive may challenge the validity of signatures until 4 p.m. on Aug. 21. Challenges must be specific and in writing, Krueger said.