CAPE MAY – Two weeks after the Cape May City Council tabled the approval of the liquor license for Elaine’s on Lafayette Street, the license was renewed without difficulty at the June 20 meeting.
Two city residents had used public comment at the previous council meeting to urge the city to do a better job of enforcing the noise restrictions on outdoor music that are a condition of the liquor licenses.
At that meeting, both the city manager and the chief of police were absent. Both individuals who spoke singled out Elaine’s as a violator of the noise restrictions. Council tabled the renewal to the June 20 meeting when the administration could be present to speak to enforcement concerns.
If those discussions on enforcement occurred, they did not occur in the public meeting June 20. Instead, Elaine’s owner, Shirley Phinney, assured the council of her commitment to license conditions at the popular bar and dining spot.
She also asserted that Elaine’s is sometimes blamed for music noise emanating from other establishments or even from private homes.
Following the discussion, council moved ahead with the license renewal.
