Waukesha committee recommends bartender license for Joseph A. Porter after sobriety discussion; 4-1 vote

The Waukesha City Ordinance and Licensing Committee on March 24 recommended approval, by a 4-1 vote, of a bartender/operator license for Joseph A. Porter, who disclosed a September 2023 OWI and said he is currently in treatment and living in sober housing.

The committee chair clarified that Porter's application had been filed as a renewal but is a first-time application in the City of Waukesha; Porter's previous bartender licenses were held in other municipalities. Committee members questioned Porter about the circumstances of the alcohol-related arrest, his treatment, and his current living and work arrangements.

The exchange focused on public-safety concerns and Porter’s steps toward recovery. Porter told the committee he was at a treatment location in September 2023 when police arrested him on an OWI charge. He said he has been in a sober-living residence above the Salvation Army on Third Street since November, continues to participate in treatment at the facility he named in the application, and has an ignition interlock (Intoxalock) on his car. Porter said he has roughly 13 years’ experience tending bar at country clubs and area establishments and is employed by the House of Guinness.

Committee members probed the record in the application and clarified the criminal-history entries. A committee member identified as Dan noted for the record that because Porter is a first-time applicant in Waukesha, denial of the application would not trigger the same hearing process as denying a renewal. That procedural distinction framed part of the committee’s discussion.

Several members expressed support for Porter’s application based on his treatment and work history. "I don't want to stop you from being able to operate at House of Guinness," a committee member who identified herself as Alicia said, adding that Porter's treatment record and current living situation weighed in favor of approval. The motion to approve was made by Alderperson Halvinsleben and seconded by the committee chair; the recommendation passed 4 to 1. One committee member voted no; individual no-vote names were not recorded in the transcript excerpt.

Committee members advised Porter to attend the full City Council meeting when the license comes before the council and to provide a letter of support from his agent at House of Guinness if he cannot attend. The chair said he would speak on Porter's behalf at council but that it would be more impactful for Porter and a representative of his employer to attend in person.

Because the committee recommended approval rather than placing the matter on the consent agenda, Porter's application will appear as a standalone item before the full 15-member City Council. The committee did not set conditions in the record beyond encouraging evidence of employer support and personal attendance at council.

Porter’s application drew the longest discussion of the meeting; earlier agenda items were handled by unanimous consent.