New Law Will Allow Incoming Oak Park Mayor To Keep Liquor-Serving Restaurant
OAK PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- Oak Park's incoming Mayor will still be able to own a restaurant that serves liquor thanks to a new law that Governor Quinn signed yesterday, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.
New Law Will Allow Incoming Oak Park Mayor To Keep Liquor-Serving Restaurant
By state law, most elected mayors are automatically the liquor commissioners for their municipalities.The law was changed to allow 1,300 of them to give up that role in favor of an independent regulator.
Anan Abu-Taleb, the incoming Mayor of Oak Park, owns Maya Del Sol restaurant which serves alcohol.
State Senator Don Harmon was sponsor of the law which now exempts Oak Park too.
"It is a way for a mayor or village president with an interest in a restaurant or a liquor license to extricate himself from that responsibility which is really coincidental to being mayor or village president," said Harmon.
Voters elected Abu-Taleb knowing of the potential conflict of interest which now no longer exists.
