When East Dedham Liquors re-opens for business after a three-month suspension of its alcohol license, it will do so under new management, as reported by boston.com
In a split vote, Dedham selectmen have approved a change of manager for the store, which has been found guilty of five violations over a period of 16 months.
East Dedham Liquors owner Robert Renzi, the previous manager of record of the liquor license, came before selectmen without representation, but with his new manager, Michael Francis, by his side.
“Given the troubles I’ve had, I believe that the store needs someone who is more hands-on than I,” Renzi told selectmen at a meeting earlier in April.
Francis said he had a background in retail and management, and he lives in Readville. He was also employed by a bar for 18 months, he said.
“For the issues we’ve had in the past, various stings and IDs not being checked, I sat down with Mr. Renzi and went over the point-of-sale system, new ID procedures, and new training procedures that are going to be instituted,” Francis said at the meeting. “A lot of things should change with the change of management.”
All selectmen approved the change except for James MacDonald, who always abstains for alcohol-related votes and hearings due to his affiliation with the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, and Selectmen chairman Carmen Dello Iacono, who voted “no.”
“I was unhappy when I saw your application, and the only reason I voted to have the suspension is because you said you were going to sell the license and then you didn’t,” Dello Iacono said.
East Dedham Liquors’ license was suspended at a January hearing. Selectmen found that East Dedham Liquors had sold to a minor during a sting operation in November.
Before that, selectmen held three hearings in August and October 2011 to deal with three previous violations, and the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission conducted a hearing.
