Mattapoisett discusses bylaw change to ban nips

Oct 5, 2022

MATTAPOISETT – Mattapoisett resident Donald Cuddy says that he’s tired of seeing miniature liquor bottles, also known as nips, littered through the town on his daily runs.

So, he decided to take action.

On Tuesday, Oct. 4, Cuddy visited the Mattapoisett Select Board to seek the town’s support in prohibiting the sale of nips.

Cuddy had previously reached out to Town Administrator Mike Lorenco in April to discuss the possibility of bringing it to Town Meeting this past spring, but there wasn’t enough time to put it on the warrant.

Cuddy asked the Select Board about the possibility of bringing a citizen’s petition before Fall Town Meeting, however, Board member Tyler Macallister said that the town prefers not to do a bylaw change at fall town meeting due to lower turnout.

“I take my hat off to the town of Wareham that has already enacted this,” Cuddy said, adding that he had also reached out to the Town Administrator in Marion, who told him he believed the bylaw change could “pass easily” there, too.

Cuddy has taken the language that Wareham used on their warrant, and shared it with Lorenco in order to begin crafting the article for the warrant.

“I would strongly suggest we do this in the spring,” said Macallister, suggesting that Cuddy work with the town on two fronts.

“I think you should do the work towards a petition for the article. it brings interest and education into the problem publicly,” he said. On the second front, Macallister suggested that the “board should meet with local liquor stores and have a conversation with them on how it would impact their business.”

Select Board member Jordan Collyer expressed concerns about how a ban could affect small businesses.

“When I worked at a liquor store, it was a big part of the business. I don’t want to do something that could hurt the bottom line of a small business,” he said.

Mattapoisett Highway Surveyor Garrett Bauer weighed in to say that the majority of the clogged drainage he sees in the town’s pipes is made up of “nips and small wine bottles.”

Cuddy’s petition will require ten signatures. In the meantime, the Select Board will draft a letter to the three local liquor stores and let them know that this has come up.

Select Board member Jodi Bauer suggested that town officials meet with the store owners.

“​​I don’t think all of them are Mattapoisett residents so they wouldn’t be able to vote at Town Meeting,” she said.

Residents will be able to have the final say when it comes to Town Meeting in the spring.

The proposed date for Mattapoisett’s fall town meeting is Nov. 14.

“It’s more for housekeeping,” Macallister said of the Fall Town Meeting. “Substantive actions are usually done in the spring.”

This year’s Fall Town Meeting will likely discuss items such as road repairs and the transfer of funds.