Volunteers have begun collecting petition signatures in hopes of placing a question on the November ballot to let Pike County voters decide whether to allow the sale of alcohol. A similar proposal in 2022 was rejected by just a handful of voters.

Lisa Harvill of Murfreesboro is leading the effort and says Pike County is losing out on revenue when residents or visitors go to neighboring counties to buy alcohol in stores or restaurants. Half of the counties surrounding Pike County are wet, with many liquor stores located near the county line. 

“I just see the tax revenue. I see an economic development growth opportunity. I think we have a lot of interest that we’re not quite tapping into,” Harvill said. “I just think that if we were to turn wet that we would have a lot more interest in coming here and people would be willing to spend a little bit of money to invest in property and business.”

Glenwood is a recreational destination for tourists wanting to kayak, float or canoe the Caddo River. Many leave the area in the evenings, often going to Hot Springs for dinner and entertainment. She believes allowing the sale of alcohol could keep some here. 

“Statistics show that the majority of vacationers do enjoy a beverage at meals and so [there are] a lot of missed opportunities for some nightlife entertainment and that sort of thing,” Harvill said.

Signatures from 38% of registered voters will be needed for the proposal to qualify for the ballot, which totals about 2,300 people. But she said volunteers are aiming to get 2,627 signatures in the event some signatures are determined to not be valid.  

“So the difference between this time and last time is we do have several volunteer groups throughout the county and that is helping collect the signatures. And so that ultimately will certainly help with the load. And I think that will make a difference in getting these signatures collected more quickly,” Harvill said.

Many statewide initiatives use paid canvassers to handle the leg work of obtaining signatures. 

Four years ago, Harvill says she considered hiring such a group but that the expense was too much. She also noted it’s not as challenging to cover one county.

In 2022, the proposal was narrowly rejected by only six votes, with 1,858 voting against it and 1,852 voting for it.

“That was pretty heartbreaking,” Harvill said. “We put in a lot of effort to get the initiative onto the ballot and we felt pretty confident about it. So it was pretty disheartening when we missed it by six votes,” Harvill said.

There doesn’t seem to be any organized opposition to the proposal at this point, but that might change as more attention is focused on it and if the question is approved for the ballot. The Glenwood Herald reached out to several churches in the area, but none responded by the deadline for this story. We would welcome hearing additional viewpoints for future stories. 

Harvell says she understands that this can be a divisive issue, even among people within the same family.

“We respect the opinions of everyone, but we just know that there is potential for growth in Pike County to add alcohol sales. We’re already having it [by people drinking] in the county, it’s just we’re not getting the tax revenue benefit from it. So, people are still driving across the county to get it and bring it into Pike County,” Harvill said.

There are a handful of private clubs in the county that are allowed to sell it to members and guests.

People opposed to the alcohol proposal are invited to share their thoughts by emailing mhibblen@gmail.com. Please include your names and phone numbers.