Waukesha City committee recommends bartender and business licenses despite recent alcohol-related records for two applicants

The Waukesha City Ordinance and Licensing Committee on Oct. 27 recommended approval of multiple bartender and business-license applications, including two bartender applicants who disclosed recent alcohol-related driving incidents, and three business-license applications that will move to the full council for final action.

The meeting opened at 6:00 p.m. with the acting chair presiding in place of Paul Wojtesca; the acting chair noted that Dan Mannion was absent and that Steve Antrieste and Dean Lemke were present, establishing a quorum. The committee first handled an uninvited potential bartender applicant, James S. Davis; a motion to act on the item was made, seconded and the chair stated the motion passed. The transcript does not record the exact motion language or a roll-call tally for that action.

The committee then interviewed invited applicant Casey James Lewandowski about a single recent alcohol-related driving incident recorded in his file. The applicant told the committee he had largely stopped drinking. His agent, Matthew Fitzgerald, introduced himself as "Matthew Fitzgerald, director of operations with Chilice" and said he was confident Lewandowski could perform the duties of a bartender. The committee voted to recommend approval of Lewandowski's bartender license; the acting chair said the recommendation will be listed on the next city-council agenda and the clerk's office will contact the applicant about next steps.

The committee next considered invited applicant Grace Marie Davis, who the chair noted is underage. Davis told the committee she was not drinking; her agent, Jeff Rockteacher, identified himself as "store manager of Walgreens 601 Meadowbrook." Committee members discussed the record’s label for the driving charge (an OWI versus a DUI) to clarify the file’s wording. The committee moved and approved a recommendation that Davis be granted a bartender license; the chair again said the recommendation will go to the next council agenda and the clerk's office will follow up.

Finally, the acting chair brought forward three uninvited business-license applications — Gruel Gas and Food Mart (reserve class B beer and liquor combo license), Quick Trip No. 970 (successor change of agent), and Silverbot (secondhand article dealer) — and the committee approved all three in a single motion.

Several procedural notes were made on the record: the acting chair said items approved by the committee will appear on the council agenda, where any council member could pull an item for separate consideration. The committee recorded no communications from the clerk’s office or city attorney and adjourned after the business was complete.

What’s next: All approvals recorded by the committee are recommendations; final action will be taken by the full Waukesha City Council at a future meeting, and the clerk’s office will notify applicants about licensing steps.