90 NJ mayors join forces for liquor license reform

At least 90 mayors are in favor of Gov. Phil Murphy's plans to overhaul New Jersey's laws related to liquor licenses.

While speaking Thursday in Atlantic City at an event held by the New Jersey Conference of Mayors, Murphy announced the formation of a coalition he's calling "Mayors for Liquor License Reform."

According to Murphy's office, the bipartisan coalition includes 90 charter members who represent urban, suburban, and rural towns across the Garden State, and they're all on board with the administration's "plan to reform and modernize New Jersey's antiquated, Prohibition-era liquor license laws."

All members have signed an open letter calling for action that aims to make New Jersey's liquor license laws more affordable and accessible. During his speech, Murphy shared a video (below) that features numerous mayors from the coalition and business owners.

"Given the exorbitant costs for a license, coupled with the lack of availability and the existing population cap for municipalities, the present system favors the economically advantaged while hampering mom-and-pop businesses and towns with smaller populations," the letter says.

Murphy first mentioned his intentions to reform New Jersey's liquor license laws during his State of the State address in January. He then unveiled a comprehensive plan for reform in February, which would, among other moves, gradually phase out population caps on licenses and remove restrictions on breweries.

Mayors from the following municipalities signed on to the letter:

• Aberdeen
• Alexandria
• Andover
• Barrington
• Bay Head
• Berlin
• Bernardsville
• Bloomingdale
• Boonton
• Bradley Beach
• Chatham
• Chester
• Clinton
• Commercial
• Delran
• Dover
• Edgewater Park
• Egg Harbor City
• Englewood
• Fanwood
• Fieldsboro
• Glassboro
• Glen Rock
• Greenwich
• Hackensack
• Harding
• Hardyston
• Hawthorne
• High Bridge
• Highlands
• Hightstown
• Hillsborough
• Hopewell Boro
• Hopewell Township
• Interlaken
• Irvington
• Lambertville
• Lawrence
• Madison
• Magnolia
• Maplewood
• Maurice River
• Merchantville
• Milford
• Morris Plains
• Morris
• Mount Arlington
• Mount Olive
• Netcong
• Newark
• North Plainfield
• Oakland
• Oaklyn
• Ocean Gate
• Ocean (Monmouth County)
• Palmyra
• Peapack & Gladstone
• Pennington
• Pennsauken
• Plainfield
• Princeton
• Raritan Borough
• Raritan Township
• River Edge
• Robbinsvile
• Rocky Hill
• Runnemede
• Saddle Brook
• Somerdale
• South Orange
• Spring Lake
• Stanhope
• Summit
• Swedesboro
• Tenafly
• Ventnor City
• Vernon
• Washington Township (Gloucester County)
• Washington Township (Morris County)
• Wenonah
• West Wildwood
• West Windsor
• Westfield
• Wildwood Crest
• Winslow
• Woodbine
• Woodbury Heights
• Woodcliff Lake
• Woodland Park
• Woodstown

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

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