Pittsburg County Voters Could Change Sunday Liquor Sale Law

Some Green Country voters will soon get a shot a changing their county's liquor laws. Pittsburg County will decide whether restaurants can sell liquor by the drink on Sundays.

Most nights of the week the bar at Chili's is packed, but on a Sunday it's more likely to be empty. It's all because of liquor sales, or lack thereof, but that could change come November.

The Chili's in McAlester is a stop along one of the city's busiest highways, so it brings in travelers from all over who often come in with questions if they pass through on a Sunday.

“Why can't we do this? Or why can they do it here and why can't you,” said Candace Watkins.

Watkins said her out-of-state customers don't understand what the day of the week has to do with what they drink with dinner.

“The only answer I have is, this county is different from other counties and I apologize,” she said.

Watkins decided she would try to shake things up and make it so there are no more questions to be answered.

She went to the Pittsburg County Commissioners and asked them to let voters decide if liquor is an acceptable drink on a Sunday.

One commissioner was against the idea, but he was overruled by the other two commissioners, including Trent Myers.

“Because of his religious beliefs, he didn't believe in drinking,” Myers said. “We voted to let the people decide. I don't feel like I should impose my beliefs on the public.”

Economically, Myers said the sale of liquor by the drink won't make much of a difference in the county.

“It's not gonna turn us into a rich county overnight, for sure,” he said.

But for Watkins, it's not about the money, it's about her customers and a movement that's happening elsewhere in Oklahoma, like Rogers County, where voters recently approved a similar issue.

7/6/2014 Related Story: With New Law In Effect, Liquor Flows On Sunday In Rogers County??

“I think people's beliefs are starting to change about alcohol on Sundays and I just hope it continues down to Pittsburg County,” Watkins said.

Pittsburg County voters cast their ballots on November 4th. If the change in the law passes, it would not change anything about the way liquor stores operate, those businesses would still have to stay closed on Sundays.