The MLO BROS: Poland Village Council’s proposed ban on charity alcohol licenses is wrong
Dear Editor,
We are writing to bring to your attention a matter of grave concern that will be discussed at the Poland Village Council meeting on April 16, scheduled for 7 p.m.
We have learned that the council members and the village solicitor are planning to pass legislation that would mandate the Police Chief to refrain from signing notifications required for non-profits seeking a temporary alcohol liquor license, also known as an F permit, from the state.
This permit enables 501(c)(3) organizations to raise funds for their causes by selling alcohol on private property.
It appears that this legislation is an attempt to prevent our 501(c)(3) from conducting a fundraising event on June 29, part of the Celebrate Poland event, for Task Force 20, a Veterans charity organization that funds gym memberships for veterans with PTSD.
Our fundraiser was scheduled on private property at the American Legion, adjacent to the Celebrate Poland events. Interestingly, only a few members of the council, the solicitor, or the leaders of the Celebrate Poland committee have reached out to us to discuss our plans for the fundraiser or to learn more about our event.
In another twist, we have discovered that the Village Solicitor sent an email to Councilman Mike Zembower, with whom we have worked closely, instructing him not to share any information with us concerning the upcoming attempt at passing this legislation. We have submitted an information request on the solicitor’s email, as we believe this is a gross overstep of power from an unelected government official.
Many have questioned why we do not simply reschedule our fundraiser. It would be imprudent not to take advantage of the large number of people in Poland during the Celebrate Poland activities. Furthermore, the Celebrate Poland committee has criticized our movie and family fun night for the past two years because it was held three weeks prior to their event. The committee’s president argued that our event “took away from their event.”
Last year, we raised $2,000 for the commendable charity, “Rosalie’s Forever Footprints,” during The MLO BROS movie and family fun night. The event proceeded without issues, even though Solicitor Jay Maceyko and Councilman Sam Moffie attempted to cause disruptions by calling the Ohio State Highway Patrol. We have communicated with the Liquor Control board, who informed us that this is the first time in their history that a local government has refused to sign the notification form required for the permit, let alone pass laws prohibiting it.
We are working with the state liquor control board to secure our temporary permit, even without the required police chief’s signature. It is our right as a 501C3 to hold a fundraiser, a right granted to us by the state of Ohio. This situation stems from a personal vendetta against The MLO BROS, as we have criticized the Poland Village leadership. It is deeply concerning that several councilmen and the village solicitor are willing to block a fundraiser for veterans, pass laws that could impede all charities in our area from fundraising in the future, and abuse their power due to a personal grievance against The MLO BROS, a local podcast that merely aims to raise money for veterans.
We hope that highlighting this issue will bring about a resolution that benefits the community, rather than hinder its progress.
Sincerely, The MLO BROS (Luke and Isaac Schuster)