Liquor Petitions OK'd, Now It's Council's Turn

Supporters of a movement to lift the liquor lockdown in —after nearly a century of dryness—got one step closer to their goal Thursday.

Township clerk Patricia Hunt certified petitions turned in by attorney Seth Broder in after she verified they had the number of signatures needed to appear on the Nov. 8 ballot. 

There were : The first calls for a ballot question that would allow the sale of liquor in town, while the second calls for the township to restrict liquor sales to full-service restaurants at the Moorestown Mall.

According to Hunt, the first petition needed 1,042 signatures from registered voters to be valid and the second needed 774. The numbers are based on a formula, determined by state statute, that requires petitioners to get signatures representing a percentage of the total votes cast (in Moorestown) in the last General Assembly election—15 percent for Petition 1 and between 10-15 percent for Petition 2.

Broder and his allies had 1,295 certified signatures for the first petition and 1,226 for the second, Hunt said.

“Obviously, we’re thrilled about that,” said Broder. “It really comes as no surprise.”

Town Council will consider two resolutions, one for each petition, Monday night to direct the county clerk to place both questions on the ballot.

While technically the township has the ability on its own to adopt the restriction called for in the second petition, township attorney Thomas Coleman suggested the township allow that question to go to voters in conjunction with the first, the reasoning being if the first question fails, the second is null and void.

And though the council has to cast a formal vote to direct the county clerk to put them on the ballot, Hunt said they’re “bound” to do so because the petitions met the required number of signatures.

Broder was passionate Thursday when talking about his group’s—Property Tax Relief for Moorestown—information campaign in the weeks since they turned in the petitions.

He said not a day goes by that someone doesn’t come up to him expressing support for what they’re doing.

A previous effort to bring liquor sales to Moorestown via referendum failed by a 2-1 margin in 2007. Broder, a member of council at the time of the first vote, said times were “so different” then.

“Think about where we’ve gone in four years,” he said. “(The mall) has a major economic stake in our town … People question the moral fiber. I don’t get that. It makes no sense.”

Broder said he will attend Monday night’s Town Council meeting—his first since he left council last year.

Calls to mall owner Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT), which has been a strong supporter of the referendum efforts, were not returned as of press time.

Council meets at 7:30 p.m. Monday at .