The Safety and Licensing Committee met 04/09/2025. One of the items they took up was a change of agent application for the alcohol license for Tandem Wine and Beer. The committee ended up voting 4-0 to recommend the application be denied not because the current agent is incarcerated but instead due to issues with the way the application was filled out. It was noted that, if denied by the Common Council, the applicant would be able to submit a new, updated application that corrected the issues with the current application. The application fee was only $10.
I’ve prepared a transcript of the discussion for download:
The owner of Tandem Wine and Beer and the current agent for the establishment’s alcohol license is George Koenig. A search of the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access website indicates that he was recently convicted of driving with a prohibited alcohol content level (3rd offense) and also had a charge of possession of cocaine read into the record, and it was noted the committee meeting that he had been incarcerated.
Assistant City Attorney Zak Buruin told the committee that Mr. Koenig’s legal issues were not a matter of concern for the application to change the agent for Tandem’s alcohol license although it could become relevant when it was time to renew the alcohol license for the establishment because, even if he wasn’t the agent of record, he would still be the owner of the business.
The main question was whether Karter Thompson, the person applying to become the new agent for Tandem’s alcohol license, met the qualifications, and nothing had been brought forward to suggest she did not.
There were, however, issues with how the application was filled out. Ms. Thompson had signed both as the owner of the business attesting that she was rescinding all previous agent appointment for the business and authorizing herself to be the agent for the license. She also had signed as the agent attesting that she was accepting the appointment as an agent. While it is possible for a business owner to both sign as the person assigning the agent and sign as the person becoming the agent, it was not clear that Ms. Thompson actually held a position within the business that would legally allow her to authorize herself to be the agent for the license.
Additionally, the application required the applicant to describe the reason for appointing a successor agent to which Ms. Thompson had merely stated, “I am present as Tandem during operating hours.” Alderperson Chris Croatt (District 14) said he was expecting more than that and wanted to know if that was a typical answer to that question.
Attorney Buruin responded, “I don’t think it’s particularly responsive to the inquiry. I don’t think it answers the question, and I think that is something that the committee is perfectly within its right to consider.”
The committee ended up voting 4-0 to recommend the application for denial. Alderperson Alex Schultz (District 9) asked if it would be possible for the applicant to amend the application prior to the final vote by the Common Council on 04/16/2025. Attorney Buruin did not have a definitive answer to that; however, he did note that, if denied, nothing would prevent her from reapplying immediately. The application fee was only $10.
View full meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1281679&GUID=6B9F54CF-8627-4E9A-B66A-B297FC339A99
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