License Fee Relief Is Appropriate

We wish to voice our support for the request for an abatement in the licensing fees for local restaurants that the Winthrop Board of License Commission has sent to our Town Council.

Small businesses, especially our restaurant establishments, are the heart and soul of cities and towns across the nation. They constitute the fabric of our communities, especially in small locales such as ours where “everybody knows your name” (to paraphrase the tag line from the beloved TV show Cheers).

However, as we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has shredded that fabric over the past year. Although the license fee relief being sought by our local restaurants is small, in dollar terms, to the town, every little bit helps toward maintaining the survival of these establishments.

Communities throughout the state, including neighboring Revere, already have reduced their licensing fees for 2021.

We urge our town officials to do the same for restaurants here in Winthrop.