Sherwood Mayor Mary Jo Heye-Townsell says the change will revitalize the city’s economy and has already led to new companies expressing interest in the area.
SHERWOOD, Ark. — On Tuesday, Sherwood’s alcohol sales ballot issue—unofficially known as Act 4 Sherwood—passed with over 73% of the vote.
“We were elated,” said Monica Treat, who spent months knocking on doors and collecting signatures for the effort. “It was just like, ‘Oh, it’s actually happened!’”
The effort’s goal was to change an old law that only allowed businesses in certain parts of Sherwood—specifically, anywhere south of Maryland Avenue—to sell alcohol, while businesses north of that line could not.
Sherwood Mayor Mary Jo Heye-Townsell, who supported the change, said that the “dry” parts of Sherwood encompassed around two-thirds of the city and strangled economic growth in those areas.
Heye-Townsell said the law scared businesses away from the area, including major retailers and grocery stores.
“No one wants to go head to head with …