Two downtown bars narrowly escaped revocation of their liquor licenses Tuesday at a special non-renewal hearing of the Alcohol License Review Committee. The fate of a third bar, Ram Head, has not yet been released to the public.
Madison Avenue, 624 University Ave., and Johnny O's, 620 University Ave., received complaints from the Madison Police Department because of excessive problems with violence and underage drinking.
According to John Okonek, owner of both establishments, the fact that the police wanted his license to not be renewed was shocking to him.
""I've owned and licensed establishments for 23 out of 25 years working in the business,"" he said. ""I've taken this strictly, professionally and responsibly.""
In a 4-3 vote, both bars were able to keep their licenses, as long as Okonek agreed to several stipulations.
One stipulation will be to discontinue specific disc jockeys at Madison Avenue on Saturday nights. Ald. Mike Verveer, Dist. 4, said this is the time when many of the violent disturbances have occurred.
The capacity of the nightclub will be reduced by 20 percent and for the entire month of July, it will have its liquor license suspended.
Verveer said it would have been an unprecedented move to shut down one of Okonek's establishments given his track record and the shortage of underage venues.
Complaints against Johnny O's were entirely based on underage drinking, which is considered to be one of the more minor violations, according to Verveer.
""Although it's the law, to me there's no comparison between underage and violent fights occurring,"" he said.
The Madison Police Department, who brought the complaints against both establishments, supported the stipulations.
The fate of Ram Head, 303 N. Henry St., was still unclear Tuesday night, but a decision will be released by June 2.
Ram Head owner Richard Lyshek, faced charges solely on underage drinking problems, which police said date back to 1999.
Assistant city attorney Jennifer Zilavy called eight MPD officers to testify against Lyshek. Each officer recounted ticketing underage patrons over the past year.
Additionally, Zilavy said the bar has not had a very good reputation with the MPD in the past.
Lyshek attempted to deny all 22 allegations of underage drinking in his opening statement and said it can be difficult to control all underage patrons because so many possess false identification cards.
Although Verveer said the Madison Common Council puts tremendous faith in the decisions of the ALRC, each hearing will be brought forward at their June 2 meeting. Under Wisconsin state law, each liquor license in the state must be renewed by June 30.
