Caraway Campaigning Hard Against Proposition 1
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway is making his way around Southern Dallas Tuesday, campaigning against Proposition One on Dallas County ballots.
Voters are being asked to vote on "the legal sale of beer and wine for off-premises consumption only." Currently, some portions of Dallas are dry, which means some convenience stores and grocers are not allowed to sell alcohol.
Caraway says a vote "yes" would expand the proliferation of convenience stores that sell beer and wine in Southern Dallas neighborhoods, particularly in areas already plagued by crime and loitering.
"You have five and six and seven convenient stores located on a given corner in a inner community and not a major thoroughfare like Mockingbird, Preston Greenville … something of that nature," he told KRLD.
Proponents of Proposition One say the alcohol ordinances in Dallas are antiquated and the sale of beer and wine in stores would increase a sales tax base that's going to nearby suburbs.
And because of the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission's oversight, supporters say the law would not affect Dallas the way Caraway believes it will.
"The TABC does monitor pretty strictly who gets licenses and how far they need to be from churches, schools, hospitals and daycare centers," said Gary Huddleston, the Dallas market's director of consumer affairs at Kroger.
Proposition Two in Dallas asks voters to approve "the legal sale of mixed beverages in restaurants by food and beverage certificate holders only."
Caraway says he does not oppose Proposition Two, which would do away with the current system that requires many restaurants to sign up "members" who wish to order alcoholic drinks.
