Flippity Floppity
Every year local liquor sales permits are reviewed by the city and recommendations are made by the city to the state as to objections for license renewal. Cincinnati has over 1,000 licenses and usually fewer than 20 merit objections each year (contrary to what the local media might have you think, most people are AOK). The state of Ohio makes the final decisions.
What flags establishments are frequent police runs and complaints from neighborhood groups, institutions or individual citizens.
This year, nutjob Chas Winburn has decided that the process is flawed, subject to a lawsuit & he wants to have a review of all the local licenses every year. This desire to burden the city with needless paperwork is probably why COA T endorsed the dumbass. If nobody's complaining, why bother?
What's strange is that last year Winburn wanted to implement a policy where, if anybody was shot in or around a licensed establishment they would receive an automatic license objection. Now he feels such incidents are being judged unfairly? Once again, he has wetted his finger & thrust it into the air to see which way his political fortunes blow.
Councilmember Wendell Young is concerned about who gets new licenses. Laketa's staff could have surely told him this.
An applicant for a liquor sales license submits paperwork to the state, provides personal info including criminal convictions & financial viability. He agrees to background checks and the state informs the local government, law enforcement & nearby institutions of the application. Other than law enforcement, they have 30 days to file an objection. In Cincinnati, the neighborhood community councils are informed, the applicant is urged to meet with the councils and city councilmembers can certainly arrange to attend those meetings.
The community councils' opinions weigh heavily on objections.
If the police see problems emerging with an existing permit holder, they work with the establishment to keep it open. I think there is some room for corruption there but I don't know There has been some strong arming of some places, The Phoenix Cafe immediately springs to mind. Some objections are frivolous & are usually tossed out.
Councilwoman Amy Murray summed it up nicely, that it is a subjective process but counclilmembers have to do their best. Winburn's concepts of introducing science are laughable. Laketa Cole's "matrix" idea was kinda helpful but poorly implemented by the police. It certainly wasn't science, tho.
Winburn's tergiversation & kooky ideas waste time, money hurt morale & slow the business of the city down. I see no evidence of success of his custom made Jobs Creation committee. The man should step down now.

How to apply for a liquor license here.