Multi-Print Viewer http://infoweb.newsbankxom/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?f_docActOn=cu. September 22, 2007 (Cont'd) alcohol within their boundaries. Currently, Utah has no dry counties, a fact that isn't lamented much, even in Farr West. "I don't want to move back in that direction. We tried prohibition, and how did that work?" said Ted Johnston, a Farr West city councilman. "Does that mean that we should open it up for a free-for-all? No." Joe Cottam, the owner of Melina's Restaurant on 2700 North, whose request to serve beer was rejected by the Farr West City Council on Sept. 9, said the ordinance was ruining his business. "Personally, I don't drink. I never have," he said. "But I'm in the business of customer service. People walk out of my restaurant when they find out they can't drink beer. Eventually, Farr West City Council will realize that they're in the customer-service business, too." Johnston said that he will not support a change to the ordinance because he wants to limit the availability of alcohol to make the community safer. But the current ordinance isn't the best way to make the city more secure, said Michael Scippa, advocacy director for The Marin Institute, a national alcohol watchdog group. "Alcohol is a public health issue. It's responsible for about half the insurance claims in the country," he said. "But the most effective laws are ones that keep alcohol out of the hands of children and disadvantaged communities." Adults should be able to drink, Scippa said, as long as they drink responsibly, and a restaurant is one of the best places for that. Melva Sine, president of the Utah Restaurant Association, agrees with Scippa. "That's a silly and outdated rule," she said of the ordinance. "If people are going to consume alcohol, they should do it in a place that's safe, that's controlled, and that has food." People are much less likely to get drunk when they consume alcohol at a restaurant, because the food helps them metabolize the alcohol and waiters are watching to make sure no one gets drunk, she said. Johnston said he's worried that Melina's patrons will be able to get around the rules, get drunk, and then drive home. But Cottam thinks the city council is just waiting until a national chain wants to come in, and then they'll change the law. "Some of the big chains have made inquiries here," Johnston said. "And maybe we've lost some revenue because of it, but I don't think Farr West has suffered any." In Marriott-Slaterville, restaurants have yet to seriously ask for the ordinances to change, Morris said. He added that even with the ban, their city experiences an unusual number of people driving under the influence. "For a city that has no bars and a population of 1,500 to have several DUIs a month is crazy," he said. "When we prosecute them, we find that they're not residents. They're people coming from bars in other cities." While Utah isn't the most conservative state when it comes to liquor laws, Sine said, it still is one of 29 states that controls consumption and that makes it harder for restaurants. "We are careful to be respectful of the culture in Utah, and at the same time we're working to help restaurants serve their customers," she said. "I hope Farr West can partner with the restaurants to do what's best for their community." 64 2 of 3 1/14/2008 4:55 PM