Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl decided the fate of businessman Ted Mavrakis’ liquor lisence request for a proposed Tilted Kilt restaurant several hours after it was debated at a public meeting that attracted nearly 50 residents, Tisdahl told The Daily Tuesday afternoon.
That final verdict to deny Mavrakis’ application – announced in a written statement Monday afternoon – was mostly driven by strong community opposition, Tisdahl said.
She added the “final straw” was Tilted Kilt representatives’ business cards, which depict a scantily clad waitress from her waist to her neck.
This direct emphasis on the woman’s exposed midriff and cleavage compromises Evanston’s progressive image, Tisdahl said.
“We’re proud of that diversity, and we didn’t want a business that demeans women to endanger that,” she added.
Tisdahl described the aftermath of her license rejection as unusual in that she has heard more feedback from those praising her resolution than those disgruntled with it.
When presented with Tisdahl’s account of her decision-making process, Mavrakis said “it’s not very smart of her” to reveal she made up her mind mere hours after hearing pro-Tilted Kilt views from three of the four liquor control board members.
At the April 26 meeting, Tisdahl announced she would base her decision off a full review of liquor board members’ public comment transcripts and on-the-record evidence.
Mavrakis said Tisdahl’s quick conclusion insults liquor board members who are supposed to influence her final considerations.
“That undermines her own opinion,” he added. “Why do you have those guys there then? Why do you need them?”
But Evanston attorney and anti-Tilted Kilt organizer Kathleen Flaherty defended Tisdahl Tuesday night, likening the overall procedure to that of a legal trial, when the judge parses numerous documents and testimonials before actually stepping into the courtroom.
“The meeting was not the first time she heard Ted’s side of the story or our side of the story,” Flaherty said. “It’s not as if she was suddenly presented with a full plate of information.”
She added that Mavrakis’ intentions have been on Tisdahl’s agenda since early December, when he first approached the city’s liquor control board.
However, it was also at that time Mavrakis began communicating with village officials in Morton Grove, Ill., about bringing a Tilted Kilt there, Flaherty said.
Mavrakis confirmed that Morton Grove Village President Dan Staackmann sent him an email Tuesday morning assuring him his village government would welcome the addition of a Tilted Kilt.
“If I’ll do it or not, that’s to be decided,” Mavrakis said.
Flaherty claimed she’s indifferent whether a Tilted Kilt pops up elsewhere in the Chicago area – as long as it’s not in Evanston.
“If Morton Grove thinks a Tilted Kilt is a good fit for their community and Ted can do business there, then mazel tov,” she said.
