Ordinance & Licensing Committee advances Carter Bell’s bartender license to council, denies Gregory Kasperjek under state law

The Waukesha City Ordinance and Licensing Committee on Aug. 11 voted to forward Carter Bell’s bartender license application to the full City Council and denied another applicant, Gregory Kasperjek, after committee members cited Wisconsin state law on licensing eligibility.

The committee heard both applications during its regular meeting. Carter Bell attended with an agent, Brooke Petty; members questioned Bell and Petty about prior underage-drinking citations and an operating-while-intoxicated (OWI) conviction. Alderperson Helvinsleben said the applicant’s record was concerning but noted the most recent incident was more than four years ago and moved to approve advancing the application to council. The motion, seconded by Alderperson Van Trieste, passed 3–1. Committee member Dean said he would vote no, describing bartending as a serious job and saying he wanted to see stronger evidence of improved judgment.

Why it matters: bartender licenses regulate who may serve alcohol in the city and licensing decisions can be conditioned by state law and local concerns about public safety. The committee’s vote means Bell’s application will appear on the next City Council agenda for final action; committee members were unsure whether that council meeting is scheduled for Aug. 18 or Aug. 19 and advised the applicant to attend.

During review of the second application, Alderperson Helvinsleben cited Wisconsin state law that the committee said bars issuance of a bartender license if an applicant has four alcohol-related offenses and one has been counted as a felony. Based on that standard, the committee moved to deny Gregory Kasperjek’s application. Kasperjek’s supervisor told the committee that at the gas station where Kasperjek would work the presence of a licensed person on every shift would allow nonlicensed staff to sell under supervision, but members said the underlying eligibility rule controlled and announced the denial.

Quotes from the meeting capture the committee’s reasoning. On Bell’s application, Alderperson Helvinsleben said, “given that it has been over 4 years since your last incident… I’m gonna make the motion to approve that,” while committee member Dean said he viewed bartending as a serious responsibility and stated he would vote no. On Kasperjek’s application, Helvinsleben told the applicant, “the state says we cannot issue a bartender’s license to you,” citing the statutory eligibility issue.

What the record shows and what it does not: the committee recorded Bell’s advancement as a 3–1 vote but did not place a full roll-call of each member’s vote into the transcript; Dean explicitly stated he would vote no, and the motion maker and seconder are recorded. For Kasperjek, the committee concluded the license was not permissible under state law and the chair announced the application was denied; the transcript does not include a detailed roll-call tally for that vote.

Next steps: Bell’s application will appear on the next City Council agenda for final action. The committee asked applicants to contact the clerk’s office with questions and encouraged attendance at the council meeting. The committee did not place additional conditions on Bell’s advancement in the transcript.