Mayor Criticizes Downtown Merchants Over Oktoberfest Petition
Mayor Tom Tomzak says he is disappointed with downtown merchants on Caroline Street who called for Oktoberfest to be moved or changed so that it doesn't take numerous blocks. Their business suffers during the event, they said.
Fredericksburg Mayor Tom Tomzak criticized downtown merchants today who spoke out against having Oktoberfest on Caroline Street because it hurts their businesses and seems to only benefit the sponsor, Capital Ale House.
In a prepared statement, Tomzak said he will urge City Council to protect the "common good and not surrender to special interests and their cash registers."
"I am very disappointed that, one of the first relatively large consensus decisions of Caroline business people involved turning their back on the good citizens of Fredericksburg," Tomzak wrote. "Many of the same business people were against the hotel, very few if any have worked to advance the Riverfront Park. The good citizens spent thousands on brick sidewalks & and enhanced snow removal to facilitate these business people & now the businesses turn their back on the common good."
A decision on what to do with Oktoberfest, if anything at all, is unlikely to happen before the May 1 election when some members could lose their seats. Mayoral candidate Fred Howe will remain on City Council, but challenger Mary Katherine Greenlaw and Kerry Devine could be ousted this election. Tomzak is not running again. Both Howe and Greenlaw support moving the event to the riverfront park on Sophia Street. Devine seemed open to the idea and Councilwoman Bea Paolluci joined Howe and Devine in asking the city manager to investigate the matter and come back with recommendations later this month.
Edwin Wyant, who owns Virginia Wine Experience at 826 Caroline St., said he believes most people realize the good downtown merchants bring to the city. Wyant said Mayor Tomzak has always been a bit "anti-Caroline Street" when it comes to the merchants and he's never said much positive about them during his tenure in office.
"We've got to make positive change for everyone," he said. "We don't think the Oktoberfest should go away."
Wyant said Caroline Street is so packed with people in the barricades that it makes it difficult for anyone to navigate to other businesses. The barricades are an ABC requirement that the drinking public must be segregated from the regular public.
"I think there would be a lot less criticism if they backed it down to one block," he said about the event that took up four blocks this past year.
Bill Beck, owner of Beck's Antiques on 708 Caroline St., said he isn't sure how the mayor is defining "common good." He said Tomzak's comments are offensive.
"I think his view of the common good unfortunately always seems to involve beer," Beck said. "I would never define beer drinking as sort of a highlight of civic involvement."
Beck said he believes moving the event to Riverfront Park is the better solution. He said it may not be perfect, but it would make it just as advantageous for the other merchants on Caroline Street. He said an underlying issue with this controversy is that Oktoberfest isn't an event than enhances the character of downtown.
Almost 10,000 people showed up to Oktoberfest last year, making it one of the most-popular events the city has each year. Beck noted that the owner of Capital Ale House wrote an email to the city in 2009 that stated the event was meant to increase business to his restaurant.
"Clearly that is what this is about, and the issue with the mayor, is it really in the public interest to turn over a public street to one business, a special interest that is not based in Fredricksburg?" Beck said. "The purpose of the event is to make money for Capital Ale House. It has no broader purpose."
A representative of Capital Ale House's headquarters in Richmond have not returned numerous phone messages seeking comment.
Tom Byrnes
1:17 pm on Friday, April 13, 2012
Nobody on City Council has been significantly active or engaged in finding a solution. How much revenue does this event generate for our city? The discussion should begin with this answer, as it is one good measure of how the event contributes to the common good. Paxson has the right approach. Better to engage both the organizers and businesses on Caroline St. to try and find a way to make it work first before implementing a knee-jerk reaction. There are pluses and minuses to both a Caroline St. and Sophia St./riverfront location. If a more concerted effort is made to keep the other existing businesses from being negatively impacted, and if there is a proactive way to engage and help them participate in the profit making opportunity, the event could stay on Caroline St. and be more of a win-win. Keep in mind there are plenty of shops on Caroline that have slow and unprofitable Saturdays when there are no events at all downtown, and others who stepped up and found a way to take advantage of the crowd to make money, so we should try to keep this all in perspective. The guy who sells ice cream found a way to make it work well for his business, so it's possible. ABC requires those consuming alcohol to be contained and controlled, the other candidates were incorrect when they suggested ABC is responsible for the way organizers chose to cordon everyone off. This is just another example of why we need new leaders.
David
2:02 pm on Saturday, April 14, 2012
Well put Tom, but not only direct revenues from this event should be considered, but also the future revenues generated by the potential customers who otherwise might not have come downtown were it not for this event. Marketing a downtown should take many forms, and this is clearly one that has been successful at drawing those potential consumers. Opportunities knock...let them in.
Tom Byrnes
2:12 am on Saturday, April 14, 2012
Check my "nobody" on City Council comment above. Although there was no significant engagement by our leaders after last years event, I spoke with merchants today who said councilman Brad Ellis was out speaking with businesses on Caroline Street and working to find some common ground and solutions to the problems Caroline Street businesses have with Octoberfest. Nice job Brad! It's great to see this kind of proactive effort on the part of a council representative.
Debby Girvan
10:18 am on Saturday, April 14, 2012
Why is it when anyone respectfully raises a problem with a city decision the Mayor goes into counter attack mode? Downtown business owners have a legitimate concern & deserve a constructive, productive response. There's nothing wrong with Oktoberfest bringing more people downtown to have fun but don't kid yourself that after partying in the street, those same people are going to move on to buy clothing, jewelry or antiques. Some have been in no condition to do anything but go home & sleep it off. I know people who enjoy shopping & dining downtown but deliberately avoid downtown on Oktoberfest because of the crowds, the drunks, the parking and the difficulty getting to the shops. Why not have it in Market Square? That would keep most of the partiers away from the store fronts & satisfy people who enjoy Oktoberfest AND downtown shopping/dining.
Wink Thompson
10:18 am on Saturday, April 14, 2012
What "common good" is our great mayor referring to this time? Is it the social gathering because that is the only "common good" I see. The only business to directly benefit is CAH! Both the Mayor & Joe Wilson are very biased in this situation, the Mayor becasue he has had disagreements with downtown business owners in the past & Wilson because he rents his bldg. to CAH! His income may be based on a portion of gross receipts. If the decision by the city mgr. is to keep it downtown, keep the crowd on the street and leave the sidewalks completely open to tourists and shoppers. Declare a free parking day in the garage and the city lots to replace the parking lost on the closed streets.
JS Mosby
11:42 am on Saturday, April 14, 2012
"Almost 10,000 people showed up to Oktoberfest last year, making it one of the most-popular events the city has each year."
Looks to me like people are voting with their feet. 10,000 to 90. They call that a landslide in most circles.
It's ONE DAY. Downtown has been shuttered for years at 5pm, despite numerous entreaties to do otherwise.
Those merchants want to keep FXBG quaint...like they believe themselves to be. Well, quaint isn't filling up the fire trucks and police cars at $4.00 a gallon anymore.
And this myth that only Cap Ale house benefits is just that. Made in VA store stayed open and made a killing on street food. Otter House, 909, etc. also had mass biz. Those 10,000 walk that entire downtown sector, not just Cap Ale's sidewalk.
Which it's interesting....if this only benefits Cap Ale, Bill, they're blocks away from your shop so I don't see how they're effecting you.
ONE DAY A YEAR and they cluck like hens. Enough already. That day probably brought in more tax receipts (at 7%) than the rest of them do in a full quarter combined.
Anne
3:52 pm on Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Nicely said Mosby and I couldn't agree more.
Tom Fortune
11:42 am on Saturday, April 14, 2012
Fear or greed - the two most important motivators of political opinion. The Octoberfest issue is a classic example of that principle - think about it.
Debby Girvan
8:56 am on Sunday, April 15, 2012
Anyone who doesn't understand the business owners' concerns have never owned a business. There's room for compromise.
Arnold Smithson
8:01 am on Monday, April 16, 2012
It's not that people don't understand, it's that people don't think the 90 business owners should get to dictate to the 10,000 people who attend this event. It's that people don't think the 90 business owners should get to put their interests above that of the Fredericksburg community as a whole.
We understand, we just don't think the interests of the greater community should be subordinated to the interests of the select few.
Debby Girvan
12:19 pm on Monday, April 16, 2012
Arnold, your argument supports my point - why should 90 (actually it's 100) downtown businesses be obstructed by one business's keg party? Let's put it another way: How would you feel if your place of employment was obstructed by a 2-week street festival & because you couldn't get to work, you didn't get paid for those 2 weeks? I say 2 weeks because these businesses rely primarily on weekends to generate their income - there are relatively few weekends so one day makes huge impact on their bottom line, ability to make payroll, etc. They must pay employees to be there & utilities/rent & taxes, even if few or no customers get to the store. The 90 businesses aren't saying shut it down (only Capital Ale House has threatened that) - they want it moved to a location that doesn't obstruct their businesses. That's reasonable.
McDaniel
8:56 am on Sunday, April 15, 2012
If they close this down the 9000 can go to the Richmond CAp Ale House and spend our money there...I am sure Richmond wouldn't mind the extra cash from taxes. Downtown merchants....it's one freakin day! You should be ashamed!