Sunnyside Council Moves Forward On Moratorium

Recently Chuck Egley applied for a business license in Sunnyside.  Instead of granting or denying a license, the Council deemed it not to be filled out properly and acted to place a moratorium on exotic dancing licenses.  Mr. Egley has reportedly been frustrated and confused, as his stated intention was to have fully clothed dancers.  He also has stated it was not his idea to apply for a license for exotic dancing, but city staff suggested he use that terminology.

What upsets me about this episode is not the debate about so-called “adult” entertainment in Sunnyside, but the Council’s failure to address real issues facing our citizenry.  Instead of going through this foolishness about a moratorium, Council could have taken the opportunity to examine what Mr. Egley’s true intentions are.  If he intends to have a truly “adult” type of entertainment, his location within 1,000 feet of a city park would be enough for Council to deny the license.  On the other hand, if Mr. Egley is not seeking to have this potentially offensive type of entertainment, Council could grant the license and begin realizing some tax revenue from his business venture.

The city is facing the prospect of eliminating police officers and detectives to try and make the budget.  Additional personnel cuts are being considered.  Public parks and amenities are on the chopping block to get cut.  Sales tax revenue is down.  It appears that Council is trying to distract our attention with sensational solutions to non-problems.  Finish processing Mr. Egley’s application, review regulations on adult businesses if you desire; but please, get the City’s financial house in order first!

The following articles were referenced for this post:

http://www.sunnyside.net/ArcStoryPage.asp?Database=Story&StoryID=14039

http://www.dailysunnews.com/DSNNews6.shtml