Lawyer to Committee: Lift Unfair Restrictions That Forced Dave’s Who’s Inn to Close

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The city of Sheboygan’s restrictions on a well-known tavern will be debated in committee after being called unfair and vague by its attorney. Attorney Richard Hahn of Holden & Hahn says the requirements to keep minors off the property and to use a scanner and metal detector on patrons in order to maintain Dave’s Who’s Inn’s Class B liquor license are conditions no other tavern is required to meet, and the reasons for the impositions are vague and unfair.

The tavern and its owner, Dave Repinski, have a long history of conflict with the city, which suspended their license for 30 days two years ago, reissuing it only after Repinski agreed to terms that included an ID scanner, a metal detector and a ban on minors on the premises. Those terms, he said, make it impossible to operate the family-friendly, community space he had developed. After a fight outside the tavern exposed a nonfunctional scanner and prompted renewed threats to revoke the license, Repinski decided to close the bar in late June until the issues were resolved.

Attorney Hahn’s documents indicate that Repinski’s case will be heard at the Licensing, Hearings and Public Safety Committee meeting on Thursday.