Meeting report · Select Board
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Select Board — May 1, 2026
The tone was shaped by the business owner's apology for 'incompetence' and the direct conflict between his request for operational continuity and the board's legal mandate to suspend the license.
Decisions logged
Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Indefinite suspension of liquor licenses for Dirty Water Distillery, LLC.
The board motioned to suspend the licenses indefinitely until the transfer process is fully completed and approved, rather than just when paperwork is submitted.
Approved
Topics discussed
Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
▶ 14:50 Public Hearing: Dirty Water Distillery, LLC Liquor License Violation
A public hearing regarding the failure of Dirty Water Distillery to complete the legal transfer process for its liquor licenses, resulting in a violation of Massachusetts General Law.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker, Lisa Johnson, Mr. Canty, Kate McKay, James Bandera, Mr. Quenzel, Mr. Quinto, Mr. Cohen
Controversy & dissent
Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.
Potentially controversial issues
01
Dirty Water Distillery, LLC Liquor License Violation
The decision to indefinitely suspend the liquor licenses directly impacts a local business's ability to operate and generate revenue due to administrative/legal failures regarding license transfers.
Board position: The board took a strict legal stance, enforcing the suspension until all legal transfer requirements are met.
low concern
Community vs. board tension
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Action items
Who owes what, by when.
Complete required paperwork, including background checks with the police department and updates on the ABCC website, and finish the change of manager application.
Assigned: James Bandera · Due: Not specified (aiming for next week)
Process the transfer and schedule a hearing once all required documentation is received from the applicant.
Assigned: Lisa Johnson
Notable statements
I want to apologize for dragging you all here today for me and my incompetence. — James Bandera · The owner was taking responsibility for the delay in the license transfer process caused by the previous owner's departure. ▶ 22:21
He is serving under the old owner's license, which is not okay. — Lisa Johnson · Explaining the legal issue where the current operation was continuing under a license that had not been legally transferred. ▶ 17:06
Public comment
What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
1
Total speakers
1
Addressed
0
Partial
0
Not addressed
James Bandera
Addressed
The owner of Dirty Water Distillery apologized for the failure to complete the liquor license transfer process, citing the previous owner's sudden departure. He expressed a desire to cooperate with the town to resolve the paperwork and asked if any grace periods or temporary licenses were available to allow the business to remain open.
Key concern
Requesting a grace period or alternative licensing (like one-day licenses) to allow the business to continue operating during the transfer process.
Board responseThe board, guided by the licensing agent, informed him that there is no grace period and that one-day licenses are not allowed while a transfer is pending. They ultimately moved to indefinitely suspend the license until the transfer process is fully completed and approved.
The board directly answered his questions regarding grace periods and alternative licensing options, and then took official action regarding his request to stay open.
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Report composed by
gemma-4-26b, claude-opus-4-7 · analyzed 2026-05-25.