Hurry up and apply for a spot on the Alcohol Task Force

Despite the BBQs and fireworks, let’s face it America: we don’t have much to celebrate this year. And while wearing your Black Lives Matter and Nasty Woman shirts to family gatherings and using July 4th as a personal protest of the current administration was a step in the right direction, there’s something else that you can do for the future of our city and state.

Massachusetts Treasurer Deb Goldberg has launched the Alcohol Task Force, a statewide coalition that aims “to examine the legal and regulatory framework governing the alcoholic beverage industry in the Commonwealth.”

And she wants you, the people of the Commonwealth, to apply to be members.

By filling out a simple online survey (which takes about 10 minutes because of course I applied), you can submit your name and contact information and rank, from 1 to 5, which of the working groups you’re interested in joining to help better the restaurant landscape and bar ecosystem in Mass.

I don’t need to remind you that a liquor license is not merely about serving alcohol, it is the financial lifeblood for a majority of establishments.

Also, restaurants aren’t simply places to eat and drink. They are colossal economic forces, particularly in neighborhoods working to keep local money local while attracting a bigger slice of the citywide pie. They are the source of dozens of jobs, many of which are entry level, and many of which also have clearcut forward trajectories. And of course they are places where people go to make things happen, to meet future partners (in business or in life), and to reconnect with old friends.

Without exaggeration, the notions and ideals that ultimately led to the Declaration of Independence were first discussed and drafted over pints in local pubs. That’s a tough act to follow, but all contemporary woes considered, what better time has there ever been to stand up for the right to create? Seems like a patriotic act to me.

Survey submissions are due by noon on Friday, July 7 and can be found at mass.gov/treasury/alcoholtaskforce.

Copyright 2016 Haley Hamilton.

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