Ashwaubenon committee considers five operator‑license appeals; several denials overturned, some referred to Village Board

The Ashwaubenon Public Works and Protection Committee reviewed five appeals of administratively denied operator (bartender) licenses at its Aug. 6 meeting. Committee members heard from village staff, the police chief and several applicants; some appellants attended in person, while others did not.

Committee members overturned the administrative denials for Joseph Devine, Brent/"Brett" (name discrepancy in records) Demuth/Dimas, and Ashley Horn; they upheld denials for Christopher Gillespie and Graciela (Graciela/"Gracie") Diaz in committee and scheduled some appeals for consideration by the full Village Board.

Joseph Devine: The committee heard that Joseph Devine’s application was denied because he failed to disclose an OWI arrest from February 2008. The police chief said the arrest did not appear on the application. A motion to overturn the denial was made, seconded and approved by voice vote; the chair announced “Aye” and “Motion carried.”

Brent Demuth / Brett Dimas: The agenda listed the applicant as Brent Demuth; an in‑person speaker identified himself as Brett Dimas and said his address was 1517 Comanche Avenue. Village staff told the committee Demuth/Dimas had been denied administratively as a convicted felon under the license guidelines. The applicant told the committee he has “stayed clean and stayed out of trouble” and that the last charge was more than 10 years ago. A motion to overturn the denial was made and seconded and received a voice vote in favor; one committee member voiced opposition and committee discussion indicated the appeal would be taken to the Village Board on Aug. 26 for final decision.

Christopher Gillespie: Village staff said Gillespie’s application was denied under guideline 3 for convictions within two years; staff explained the committee evaluates the applicant’s record as of the application date. The committee attempted to open the floor but staff reported Gillespie was not present or online; the committee then voted to uphold the denial.

Ashley Horn: Staff said Horn failed to disclose a trespassing citation that occurred in 2023 in Ashwaubenon. The police chief confirmed the citation appeared in village records. Committee members judged the offense not directly alcohol‑related and moved to overturn the denial; motion and second were approved by voice vote.

Graciela (Gracie) Diaz: Diaz spoke in person and said she omitted a disorderly conduct citation from 2024 because she did not realize a ticket was treated as a conviction for licensing purposes. Staff and the chief clarified that the village uses the conviction date (not the arrest date) to calculate the two‑year eligibility window; the chief read a conviction date of Nov. 12, 2024, which means Diaz would not be eligible to reapply until November 2026 under existing guidelines. The committee voted to uphold the denial; staff said the case will also be considered by the full Village Board.

Throughout the appeals, the police chief and other staff emphasized that village policy treats specific guideline categories (for example, “convicted felon,” recent disorderly conduct or multiple violations within two years) as bases for administrative denial and that the committee may evaluate appeals but often considers the applicant’s record as of the application date.

Several appellants who sought to speak were not present; in those cases the committee acted on the administrative record. Where applications were overturned, staff indicated the applicants may need to complete additional paperwork or reapply following village procedures.

The committee closed the appeals portion of its agenda and moved on to other items.