By Catherine M. Welch
Wilmington, NC – A group of Wilmington residents has sent a letter to the Chairman of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission requesting the removal of the New Hanover County ABC Board.
The letter outlines the demolition process of a block of historic bungalows, calling the demolition a disregard for city ordinances and historic preservation.
An author of the letter, Greg Wessel, says with news reports that top ABC administrators received raises and bonuses, the state needs to step in, dissolve the board, and make its own appointments.
"I think the state should have direct oversight of the day to day operations of the New Hanover County ABC Commission and make sure they're following proper guidelines."
New Hanover County Commissioner Ted Davis Jr. says county commissioners are looking at removing the three board members as one of its options.
He says commissioners need to put a lot of thought into whether it wants to go through the process of re-appointing a new ABC Board.
Commissioner Jonathan Barfield says they're in the process of talking with county attorneys, and county commissioners will likely take up the matter next month.
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