East Texas

By KENNETH DEAN
Staff Writer

ATHENS — Henderson County Commissioners passed two liquor election requests by 4 to 1 during today’s regularly scheduled meeting. Now both Malakoff and a portion of Coffee City, not currently wet, will see voters determining whether or not liquor is sold for off-premise consumption and served in restaurants.

Henderson County Election Administrator Denise Hernandez said the November election will have both Malakoff and Coffee City liquor options on the ballot.

“They were both approved by the commissioners to be on the November ballot,” she said.

Ms. Hernandez said a father and daughter submitted the required petition in the Coffee City option, and a group called the Citizens for Economic Growth submitted the petition for Malakoff.

She said after both parties received the required number of signatures on the petitions, she validated them.

The proponents of a petition must get the signatures from 35 percent of the registered voters who participated in the last gubernatorial election. State law allows 60 days for the petitioner to garner the required number of signatures, and she said both parties did meet the requirement.

In Malakoff and Coffee City voters will have two choices before them on the November ballot:

For/Against: “The legal sale of beer and wine for off-premise consumption only.”

For/Against: “The legal sale of mixed beverages in restaurants by food and beverage certificate holders only.”

Ms. Hernandez said the lone commissioner voting against the two requests was Precinct 1 Commissioner Joe Hall, who lives in the Malakoff area.

In the Coffee City election, Ms. Hernandez said the father and daughter evidently want to build a restaurant that would be located in a part of the city not previously wet.