It looks like some of the residents of Lakeview's Dakota condo building have come up short in their fight to make their precinct a dry zone.
On Oct. 19, the Circuit Court overturned a petition that would have permanently shut down one of Chicago's most popular gay bars, the aptly named Circuit, which is temporarily closed for renovations. The court determined that the petition was short by 20 registered voters. The decision means that the option to vote the precinct fully dry will not be on the Nov. 2 ballot.
However, it turns out that the people who live in the Dakota, which is located at 3631 N. Halsted, would have lost anyway. A group consisting of the nightclub's employees, legal team, and outside supporters managed to remove another 36 names from the petition before the hearing.
So, even if those 20 signatures had been deemed valid, the document would not have passed muster.
'We talked to people who took their names off the petition once they realized what it was really about,' said Patrick Harms, co-owner of Circuit. Harms also praised the people who helped. 'Our attorney, Brendan Shiller, was incredible; he went over the petition line by line and name by name. Also, [Roscoe's nightclub owner] Jim Ludwig was amazing. He was the only bar owner who jumped on the bandwagon; we gave him 10 signatures to take off the petition and he came back with eight on the first day.'
Helen Shiller, the alderman of the district (and who happens to be Brendan's mother) hopes that the problem can be resolved internally. 'The best way to solve things is within the community. If there were no liquor licenses, there would be more dissension in the community. We need to solve things amicably,' she said.
The court's decision means that Harms (along with co-owner Mike Macharello) can continue renovating the club. 'We plan on opening the back area, called Circuit, around Thanksgiving,' Harms said. 'Then, we'll work on the front area, called Rehab. It'll have its own dance floor and will hopefully reopen between Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day.'
Although Harms is happy that the petition was rejected, he knows that the war is not over.
'If that had been on the ballot and passed, we would've been the only establishment in our precinct what would've been affected,' Harms said. 'However, they can file another petition in two years. It's very important that we educate voters about what they're signing—and we need to do it as soon as possible.'
