Readers react to proposed public alcohol consumption ordinance
Mrs. Rachel Joan Beard Buice, age 77, of Rome, GA, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 26, 2020, at her home surrounded by her family.
Rachel was born in Rome, GA on August 23, 1942, daughter of the late Ruby Evelyn Smith Beard and the late Marvin Wilson Beard.
Rachel worked for 28 years with the Floyd County Board of Education as a Special Education teacher. She led the children’s church for 15 years at Antioch Baptist Church, where she was a lifelong member. Rachel was a kind, loving soul and will be missed by many. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.
Survivors include her husband, Edwin Buice; 2 sons, Lemuel Buice (Kelly) and Samuel Buice (Jennifer); two grandchildren, Gabbie and Coen Buice; 2 sisters, Mary Alice Caldwell and her twin, Reba Carpenter; a brother, Donald Beard; several nieces and nephews.
In accordance with federal and state guidelines, funeral services for Mrs. Buice will be private. Interment will be in Antioch Baptist Church Cemetery with Pastor Brian Butler and Pastor Samuel %XLFH RI¿FLDWLQJ
Henderson & Sons Funeral Home, North Chapel, has charge of the funeral arrangements.
Rome commissioners will vote June 8 on allowing public alcohol consumption downtown.
We asked our readers to weigh in on the topic on our Facebook page. We received close to 200 comments from Rome and area residents and the majority were in favor of the measure.
Here are a few of the comments for and against allowing public alcohol consumption downtown:
Steven V. Bennett: Not only should they approve the measure, it should be made permanent.
David Kojack Mabry: To be honest they may as well vote yes. May keep people from bringing it from home. Yes from home, it happens. And they are going from one bar to the next. What would it hurt to walk with a drink in hand? It’s America. Let us be as free as possible.
Sherri Dawson: Just add to the problems in Rome.
Melissa Mercer: Why take enjoyment away from people that make businesses money.
Dylan Overby: One of my concerns would be the trash. If this will allow people to walk around the Broad Street area I don’t want to see red solo cups scattered everywhere or floating in the river.
Erin Brown: I don’t see what it would hurt. Isn’t it allowed during most of the block parties and events downtown anyways?
Andy Reaves: Open up the bars and restaurants or you won’t have many left. Losing money at an alarming rate. That is taxes that the city will not get.
Sally Junkins Dean: Yes and it would be nice if the boutiques would stay open later. It would be nice to have a drink, do some shopping, then have dinner or vice versa!
Blake Childers: Romans: “Downtown is dying. No one ever goes there. Stupid.”
Rome: “How about we institute an option that may draw more people to downtown while harming exactly zero people?”
Romans: “NO!”
Barbara Couey Barrett: Why? So drunks can walk up and down Broad? Aren’t enough good citizens NOT PATRONIZING Broad stores already?
Matt Zollitsch: I believe the commission did a great thing in moving this forward to vote upon. Rome has a great charm for visitors in the downtown area. If this passes, it will definitely impact the City in a positive manner.
Jennifer Guzman: OK, I can just see a drunk wandering out and getting accidentally hit. Or lots of accidents due to drinking. Some don’t know how to gauge when to stop drinking.
Danny Minter: No, No, No.
Terra Wheeler: I’d love to be able to have a beer and soak up the sun while my son plays in the fountain downtown. Normalizing alcohol in public won’t lead to more irresponsible behaviors but, likely, individuals will be more apt to buying a drink downtown if they don’t have to sit in a noisy bar or restaurant.
Hollie Talarico: Woodstock has this and their downtown is beautiful and no drunks stumbling around. If you’re that irresponsible with your drinking, this law isn’t going to change that.
Eric Mcjunkin: I think it’s a great idea to be able to stroll downtown while enjoying your favorite beverage. I think the city commissioners hit it out of the park with this idea.
Justin Michael Millican: So the cops can see you and be like, “Didn’t I see you outside Jefferson’s doublefisting beers 5 minutes ago?”
William Schwartz: It’s been voted down once. Why would we expect any different now?
Jason Gossett: I think it would be great to have a nice walk and have a refreshing adult beverage. I’m not all about the bar scenes so it would be absolutely perfect to be able to walk and talk while I have a beer.
Jim Stover: There is no nutritional value in alcohol at all. Just asking for trouble to allow it ... what would Jesus do? Put a gallon of water at 2nd Avenue and Broad and if He turns it into wine THEN YOU DRINK IT.
Dan Smith: Turning Board Street into one big saloon. Bring your guns (it’ll) be like Gunsmoke.
Sondra Obenchain Biehn Swede: We are all adults. I think it is good for our kids to see adults consuming alcohol in a responsible manner. It takes a lot of the mystique out of it. One drink is fine and no one is drunk or sloppy ... not a big secret ... and the kids no longer see it as a forbidden evil.
Pam N Adam Mitchell: I would like to see Rome interested in more family oriented activities. The only thing downtown seems to offer is bars and alcohol. Everyone doesn’t have to drink to have a good time.