Patterson: Inappropriate to Hold Phoenix Center Dinner Where Alcohol Served
Two outspoken members of the Greenville County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse took part in a spirited discussion regarding the use of substance abuse and treatment funds as well as behavior of commissioners during the July 26 commission meeting at the Phoenix Center.
The commission is the governing board of directors for the Phoenix Center, the legislated authority on substance abuse for Greenville County, and the largest provider of treatment and prevention services for alcohol and drug abusers in the county.
Members of the commission are appointed by Greenville County Council.
Thomas Inman, a member of the commission and chairman of a committee planning an upcoming commission retreat, proposed spending $1,200 for an individual to facilitate the retreat and $350 for a harpist to entertain the commission members, their families and invited guests for two hours during a dinner.
R. H. Patterson, a member of the commission and dedicated advocate for “requiring the alcohol beverage industry to pay the cost of the problems their products create,” challenged the expenditure of alcohol and drug prevention and treatment funds for a facilitator and entertainment. Furthermore, Patterson requested that in view of the mission of the commission and the Phoenix Center, that the dinner be held where alcoholic beverages are not sold.
Commission members voted to expend the $1,550 for the facilitator and harpist. The only dissenting vote on the 12 member commission was cast by Commissioner Patterson. Commission Chairman Pat Toomey acknowledged that Patterson’s proposal to hold the dinner at a location where alcoholic beverages were not served had merit and should be considered, but delegated the final decision to Inman. Inman said he saw no problem with alcoholic beverages being served where the commission dinner was held.
Inman responded by Patter-son’s proposal by saying that he believed “Jesus turned water into wine” and that the wine Jesus produced was “16 percent alcohol.”
Commissioner Patterson gave a detailed presentation on what he described as the alcohol problem in Greenville County and South Carolina, with more than 63,000 sales points and only 20 SLED agents assigned to alcohol enforcement.
“The problem is that we have a legislature that has licensed an unsafe product, and we have not tackled the Alcohol beverage industry like we have the tobacco industry,” Patterson said. “If the alcohol industry was paying for the problems they cause, we wouldn’t have problems finding funds for prevention and treatment of substance abusers.”
Patterson also addressed the conflict of interest inherent in the current state system that benefits the industry, including members of the legislature representing clients applying for licenses before judges they appoint.
Citizens who protest issuance of a liquor, beer or wine license in their area must travel to Columbia to protest. Patterson has proposed to the Greenville County Council and County Legislative Delegation that they use their influence to require hearings on new sales outlets being protested by local citizens be held in the local area rather than in Columbia. He requested that the Commission take a position on the matter in the form of a resolution or a letter to the lawmakers and Governor Sanford.
One Commission member questioned the appropriateness of the Patterson request. “Before we take any action, I think we need to have someone from ABC (Alcohol Beverage Commission) come and explain the law,” he suggested.
A Commissioner quoted a federal study that found that 85 percent of those who consume alcoholic beverages don’t cause any problems. He said asking them to pay the social cost of alcohol problems would not be fair. “That is not going to happen politically,” he concluded.
One member of the Commission argued with Vice Chairman Karen Harris, the only woman on the Commission, that someone who had not been an alcoholic or drug abuser could not adequately understand or address the problems of addiction.
The Commission discussed the selection of a location for the planned Adolescent Treatment Center. The state provided $6.2 million for construction of a facility a year ago. Personnel turnover on the Commission and on the staff of the Phoenix Center has delayed selection of a site for the Adolescent Treatment Center.
The Phoenix Center Director has tentatively arranged with the Greenville County School District to obtain the 10.74 acre campus of the former Cone Elementary School for that purpose.
One of the newly appointed Commission members criticized the proposal and presented counter proposals and asked questions.
What do the people in that neighborhood think about having a drug treatment center there? What does the hospital system think about that location? Does the hospital system have land that they could provide? Has anyone asked Stuart Spinx or Walter Brazier about providing land or money for the treatment center?
Patterson suggested that the Commission avoid making a deal with Spinx, who owns a large number of alcohol retail outlets in the county and upstate.
Chairman Toomey stated that the Commission needs to move quickly on a decision to acquire property so that planning for construction may begin.
The Phoenix center has been plagued with problems, both real and perceived, for more than a year. The problems generated by outside sources have been detrimental to the operations of the Phoenix Center at a critical time, resulting in the resignation of the executive director and most other key personnel.
The Commission hired a replacement executive director from the ranks of the center. The executive director is one of the few senior level administrators providing continuity for center operations.
.During the past year, the reorganized County Council has also replaced a majority of the Commissioners.
The new Commissioners and new center employees with the exception of Executive Director Linda Doud and Commissioners R. H. Patterson, James Jones and Thomas Inman, have limited experience in their current positions. Fortunately, Chairman Pat Toomey and Vice Chair Karen Harris, although relatively new members of the Commission, have worked hard and learned rapidly.
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