Well what do you know?

So at least five of Trenton's City Council members showed good sense last night and voted to not renew the liquor license for the troubled Club XL.

If you don't remember, Club XL operated at the site of the old City Gardens up by where Calhoun Street runs into MLK Blvd. The operation was fraught with problems: fights, robberies, underage drinking and alleged live sex acts, nudity and prostitution. It has been closed since 2004 while the various charges have been debated and argued and heard.

Although the body had voted previously to not renew the license, the owners are appealing the decision. In the meantime, they came back to Council with the proposal to renew the license so it could be sold and transferred to another location.
Even though Special Counsel Joseph Alaqua suggested the proposal be accepted, Councilpersons Bethea, Lartigue, Melone, Segura and Staton voted against it. Councilman Coston was absent due to family business and Council President Pintella abstained.

Interestingly, a similar offer to renew the license upon condition of it's sale was put before the Club XL owners early on in the process and they turned it down; preferring to take their chances in winning a favorable decision after the charges against them were heard.

Now that the "evidence is in" and the City Council, sitting as the local ABC Board, has denied the license renewal the owners are singing a different tune.

Too bad.

And "Yeah" for those City Council members who stuck to their guns and denied the renewal of this license again.

Thank you.