ST. CHARLES – At Monday's St. Charles City Council meeting, Blue Goose Market President and CEO Paul Lencioni will state his case why he should have a seat on the St. Charles City Council.
Lencioni has picked up an election packet to run for 3rd Ward alderman in April. Nomination packets must be filed by Dec. 21.
But city code currently prohibits St. Charles public officials – including local liquor control commission members, the mayor and aldermen – from obtaining or holding a liquor license in the city. Lencioni holds a liquor license because Blue Goose sells alcohol.
Lencioni plans to address aldermen during the meeting, which will be conducted with Zoom video/teleconferencing. In October, he announced he was running for City Council.
"I believe our city operates the best when we have the most citizenry," he said Thursday.
The state's liquor control act allows an alderman or mayor to obtain a liquor license for a location in the city as long as the the sale of alcohol is incidental to the selling of food. However, they are not able to vote on alcohol related items.
Lencioni's family has deep roots in St. Charles. In 1928, Annunciata "Nancy" Lencioni – his great-grandmother – opened the Blue Goose Fruit Market in what had been Gartner's Bakery, 201 W Main St. The store moved to its current location at 300 S. 2nd St. in downtown St. Charles in 2008.
In September, Lucy Gruber was appointed to fill the 3rd Ward alderman following the resignation of former alderman William Turner on Aug. 10. Turner's term expires in May.
Lencioni said he applied for the vacancy. During the City Council's Government Operations Committee meeting in August, the majority of aldermen had said they want to see the ban on public officials holding liquor licenses continue. Lencioni's name was not mentioned during the discussion.
However, 4th Ward Alderman Lora Vitek said she thought it was time to lift the ban.
"We all take an oath to be ethical and to follow rules and laws," she said at the time. "There are plenty other rules and laws that can be broken outside of liquor...We have plenty of really smart, intelligent business owners out here that hold a liquor license. They should be given the opportunity I think to run for public office if they so choose."