Murphy – Despite stern objections from council member Frank Dickey, the town moved a step closer to allow pool tables at businesses within town limits.
The Murphy Town Council voted 3-1 on Aug. 10 to allow pool tables under specific conditions – playing is limited to adults ages 18 and older, no pool playing is permitted between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., one pool table per business and only businesses established for more than 12 months are eligible. Gambling is already prohibited under state law.
The vote was only preliminary, the board learned after the vote.
Town attorney Mack Cowan said the board would need a two-thirds vote to approve the change on the first try, and with council member Keisha Dockery absent and Barbara Hughes’ seat vacant, the winning vote only amounted to 60 percent of the six commissioner seats on the board.
The board will have to vote a second time at a later meeting, but at that time, only a simple majority is required, Cowan said.
Stay tuned. Assuming the same three commissioners – Charlene Smith, Gail Stansell and Barry McClure – vote the same way at that upcoming vote, the change will pass no matter how Dockery votes. However, if Hughes’ position is filled and that person and Dockery vote against pool tables, it would result in a tie that would have to be broken by Mayor Tim Radford.
Dickey has opposed the pool table proposal since it was brought up during a public comment by April Scayola of The Mason Bar in July.
Scayola was unable to attend the Aug. 10 meeting – an unusual Thursday meeting rescheduled for a bid opening on another matter – and sent a letter asking the board to repeal ordinances banning pool halls and pool tables inside town limits. She said a petition gathered more than 400 signatures in favor of pool tables.
“Our intention is not to bring a negative element to the community, but to provide an avenue for entertainment and fun that could be enjoyed by our guests, especially dirt get winter months, when local activities are limited,” she wrote. “We would prefer to keep the customers local instead of sending him up the road to play at tables that are already established at the casino.”
In another letter, Cale Curtis said he was thinking about opening a sports bar sometime soon and wants it to have a pool table.
“I’m not for a ‘pool room,’ ” he wrote. “Just support it as an addition to responsible business owners. Casino has multiple pool tables no issues. Mason Bar proposal makes sense that you have to be in business 12 months as a responsible business owner … then you get just one table.”
Curtis suggested that after 12 months, a business could add a second table; the board did not consider that proposal.
Dickey said there is no overwhelming consensus of people wanting pool tables, and in July recalled the rowdiness that led to the pool table ban.
“We have a good thing in Murphy,” he said. “This could mess it up.”
Smith said she was aware of past troubles, but couldn’t see one pool table per business causing problems.
“The casino’s doing OK,” she said.
Hughes recently resigned from the commission for personal reasons. Radford said the town board of commissioners will appoint her replacement, possibly as soon as September.
“It’s an appointed position by our town council until the upcoming election,” he said. “I’m actually talking to our council members now to submit nominations. Then have those nominated speak to the board at our September meeting, explain why they would like to serve on the board and provide examples of how they would be valuable to our board as well as what they have already contributed to our community.
“We would then vote as a board on who would fill the vacant seat after hearing from each nominee.”