The Goodman Center & Alcohol: Enough is Enough

Tonight the Madison Common Council will consider over-riding Mayor Soglin’s veto of the Goodman Community Center's liquor license application.

This debate isn’t just about the merits of granting a liquor license to this community center. Instead, it’s a symbolic decision about placing our community and state’s obsession with alcohol over the needs of our kids and families.

The Goodman Center is a tremendous asset to the Madison community. It is a safe place for troubled teens and kids and it is a resource for residents and families.

Members of the public perceive that the Goodman Center’s primary purpose is to serve the healthy development of children, youth, families, and seniors of the Madison area. That it opens its doors for private social events is an opportunity for the greater Madison area community to enjoy its space.

In Wisconsin, one of the most significant obstacles to the healthy development of our kids, families and seniors is alcohol.

Our community has serious alcohol problems. In Dane County, 200 people are taken to detox each month and 70-80% of arrests are alcohol-related. Wisconsin has the worst binge drinking rates in the country – one fourth of our residents binge drink at the average rate of nine drinks a sitting.

We are drowning in alcohol. You can get alcohol everywhere in Madison – from our drug and grocery stores to our hundreds of cafes, bars and liquor stores. Enough is enough!

Alcohol should not be on-premises at the Goodman Center. The Goodman Center can – and should – work to develop more responsible caterers if it wishes to continue serving alcohol at its private events. We don’t need our community centers to purchase, store and serve alcohol – instead we need our neighborhood centers to focus on promoting the health and wellness of the community.

Our teens and kids are already exposed to too much alcohol in this state and they deserve to have a community center that isn’t doused in liquor. The Goodman Center will be better-positioned to fulfill its role in promoting healthy youth and a healthy community without a liquor license.

The Madison Common Council should vote to keep the Mayor's veto in place. By doing so, our Alders will send a message that our city values healthy communities over access to alcohol.