Recently the Forney City council passed an ordinance allowing for the sale of beer and wine at special events. The reasoning behind this is to hopefully bring larger more relevant bands and entertainment to the Spellman amphitheater, as well as any other events that may be held downtown. Many city residents have expressed their support for this and stated that they are looking forward to these events.
In 2006 the voters in Forney approved bonds to purchase land and construct the community park. The voters approved this measure 62% to 38%.
In 2011 the voters in Forney approved beer and wine sales to attract Kroger. The results of that election was 63% in favor and 37% in opposition.
In 2015 the voters within the Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 ((which includes the city of Forney)) voted to allow beer and wine sales within the precinct. This again was done to help attract larger grocery stores and retailers within Precinct 2, and it also allowed alcohol sales at bars and restaurants within Precinct 2 without requiring a “club membership”. Both of these measures were approved by the voters and passed by a margin of 62% to 38% and 68% to 32% respectively.
Mick Spellman, a longtime Forney resident, willed money to the city of Forney to be used for the construction of the amphitheater in Forney’s community park. The bulk of, if not all of, the amphitheater was constructed using those private monies.
It has come to my attention that there is a group of individuals trying to undo the recent action by the city council to allow alcohol sales at the amphitheater and downtown special events. Their argument is that the city council is trying to make our city park an “entertainment district”, and that the surrounding area and FM 548 were not designed to accommodate large crowds at the amphitheater.
I have shown you in the above examples, the majority of the QUALIFIED voters in Forney and JP Precinct (2) voted overwhelmingly IN FAVOR of alcohol sales. Also, the city of Forney has successfully hosted numerous events at the community park and the amphitheater with crowds in the tens of thousands. I am confident that the city of Forney police, fire, parks, administrative, and public works departments are very capable of hosting these special events in the right manner and safely for all involved.
Lastly, the leader of this effort writes, “You, the voter, have the ability to petition the Council to rescind this ordinance”. However, the leader of this effort, and a portion of the supporters, do not reside within the Forney city limits and therefore will not be able to vote on this matter if they are successful in their efforts to force a vote on this measure.
Please do not get blindsided by this effort to undo what is obviously the will of the people of FORNEY. Keep your guard up and do not let a small group of “interlopers” dictate how you, the voters in Forney, shall conduct the city’s business.