Cincinnati has seen a slew of new bars, breweries and restaurants that serve alcohol open over the past few years — a definite boon to the city's economy. But one elected officials says she wants the city to track who is benefiting from the boom.
Cincinnati City Council member Tamaya Dennard has introduced a motion asking the city's administration to track who receives state-issued liquor licenses by race and gender.
The State of Ohio's Division of Liquor Control handles applications for liquor licenses, but local officials have a say in whether one is issued, renewed or revoked.
Last year, a handful of Cincinnati bars came under scrutiny, with some community members and members of city council pushing to revoke liquor licenses at establishments they say have been the focal point of crime and violence. But there have also been questions about whether black-owned bars have been the subject of that scrutiny unfairly.
Meanwhile, a few spots in Cincinnati will likely see an influx of new liquor licenses soon after council approved new entertainment districts, which allow the city to green light more liquor licenses than the usual allocation set by the state. Camp Washington could get up to 15 new liquor licenses under a plan approved by council, while downtown around Court Street could see another 10.
"Bars and restaurants are a booming industry in our city," Dennard wrote in a Facebook post. "I’m asking that we take inventory of who currently holds these licenses and then begin taking this information during applications moving forward. We can’t continue to fashion ourselves as valuing diversity and inclusion and we don’t know who is participating in our growth."
Dennard says the motion is just to understand whether there are disparities along race and gender lines when it comes to liquor licenses in Cincinnati.
"Once we understand the landscape, we can move to enact policies if needed, if that be the will of Council," she wrote.
