The
Christian Right and Gov. Sonny Perdue get credit for killing a bill to
allow Sunday sales of packaged alcohol again this year, but lobbyists
and lawmakers say credit also goes to a surprising opponent: a Gwinnett
County liquor store owner.
For two years in a row, they say, Richard Tucker, co-owner of
Suwanee's Beverage SuperStore and chairman of the Gwinnett County
Convention and Visitors Bureau, has worked behind the scenes to stop
legislation that would have let voters decide whether beer, wine and
liquor should be sold in stores on Sundays.
It seems counterintuitive: Wouldn't a liquor store owner want more
days to sell booze? But Tucker and some other liquor store owners say
opening another day probably would cost them more in payroll and
overhead than they would bring in at the cash register. Meanwhile,
other retailers already open on Sundays would just rack up more
revenue, they say.
"We're a small business," said Tucker, whose store advertises itself
on the Internet as "North Georgia's Largest Volume Spirits Retailer."
"It's not a level playing field between [liquor stores] and the
grocery stores and convenience stores," Tucker said. "Many are already
open 24 hours a day. They have a lot of items to sell. We just have one
—- alcohol."
Major contributor
Last week, Perdue signed several alcohol-related bills into law,
including a measure —- supported by Gwinnett County leaders —- that
would allow the sale of beer on Sunday at a new baseball stadium in
Gwinnett.
But a Senate bill allowing local communities to vote on Sunday beer,
wine and liquor sales at stores didn't go anywhere, in part because of
opposition from some liquor stores.
Liquor store owners have influence at the Capitol primarily for two
reasons. They are represented by a powerful lobbying group, the Georgia
Alcohol Dealers Association. And, as small businesses owners, they
often are well-known in their communities. One lawmaker who represents
more than 150,000 metro Atlanta residents noted that he personally
knows the liquor store owners in his district. He said he doesn't know
all the people who run big stores like Kroger and Publix.
Tucker, a major contributor to both Perdue and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, has even greater influence.
He rarely is seen at the Capitol, but Tucker has ties to just about
everyone who had a hand in stalling passage of the Sunday liquor sales
bill the past two years.
> Tucker's companies and family have made campaign contributions
to Perdue of at least $25,000 since the governor won office in 2002.
> Tucker sits on the University System of Georgia's Board of
Regents, which governs the state's system of colleges and universities.
Perdue appointed him to the plum post in 2005.
> Cagle, who presides over the Senate, named Tucker to his
transition team when he took office in 2007. Cagle's campaign received
$10,000 from Tucker in 2005.
> Tucker is a neighbor of Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth), who
chairs the Regulated Industries Committee that handled the bill on
Sunday package sales of alcohol. Tucker was a member of the host
committee for a Shafer political fund-raiser in December and
contributed $1,000 to the senator's campaign. During the 2008 session,
the Regulated Industries Committee ignored the bill, despite an online
petition signed by more than 50,000 Georgians supporting Sunday sales.
> As managing partner of Arlington Capital LLC, a real estate
equity fund based in Duluth, Tucker is involved in development projects
throughout the area.
> He served as president and CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce from 1996 to 2003 and as its chairman in 2005.
A mark of his prominence in the community: When the Atlanta Braves announced in January that they were moving their Triple-A farm team to Gwinnett County, Tucker was at the podium with Braves president John Schuerholz.
A few weeks later, state senators from Gwinnett sponsored
legislation that would allow Sunday beer sales at the new baseball
stadium.
Others' influence
Lobbyists and lawmakers on both sides of the issue say Tucker had a hand in the defeat of the Sunday store sales bill.
"As a guy that's been around awhile, I've seen a lot of his
footprints and fingerprints on the opposition to this," said veteran
lobbyist Trip Martin, who represents Publix supermarkets, which
supports Sunday package liquor sales.
Rep. David Casas (R-Lilburn), who opposes Sunday sales said, "He [Tucker] definitely has influence; he has a role.
"He has a right like anybody to express his opinion," Casas said.
Tucker says Gold Dome insiders exaggerate his influence.
Perdue said through a spokesman that he never talked to Tucker about the Sunday sales bill.
Tucker said he expressed his opposition to Cagle last session but did not talk with him about it this year.
Shafer has mentioned Tucker's opposition as one of the reasons the
bill stalled last year. When asked if Tucker influenced him on the
issue in this session, Shafer said, "I listen to everyone who lives in
my district."
Even Casas, who says Tucker has influence, questions his reach: "I
don't go down that route to think one person has the power [to stop a
bill]."
Sunday sales supporters such as Publix also hold sway in the General Assembly.
Campaign records show about $55,000 in campaign contributions to
elected officials across the state by Publix in 2006 and 2007. Among
the recipients were Perdue, $5,000; and Cagle, $3,500. The convenience
and grocery store lobby spent over $3,500 feeding lawmakers at the
Capitol during the session
And, once the session is over, convenience and grocery store
lobbyists often invite top lawmakers to their annual conventions at
seaside locales. Last summer, those get-togethers were held in Ponte
Vedra Beach and Sandestin, Fla.
Casas said the Sunday sales issue has not passed for a combination of reasons.
"I stand on the side of moral concerns," he said. "Personally, I
would have a hard time voting for something like that because I'd like
to preserve Sunday as a sacred day.
"But I know things don't move here simply because of someone's
personal beliefs. There are other factors involved," Casas said. "This
is legislation that is attached to all kinds of business
opportunities."
Even Tucker says his opposition isn't all based on business.
"I'd like for my employees to have a day off," Tucker said. "We
don't feel there's a great call or demand that outweighs the need for
our family of employees to have a day off to worship as they choose."
—- Staff writer Andrea Jones contributed to this article.
NEW LAWS TO AFFECT ALCOHOL SALES
Bills signed into law by Gov. Sonny Perdue last week would:
> Allow Sunday beer sales at Gwinnett County's new baseball stadium.
> Let Georgians buy wine over the Internet or by phone directly from wineries.
> Allow half-empty bottles of wine Georgians bought at restaurants to go home with them.
> Let limo companies sell liquor to customers.
> Let wine-tasting rooms, which can be open on Sundays, sell beer and liquor.
