CORINTH, Miss. (WTVA) -- Regardless of people's feelings about liquor being sold in the city of Corinth, one thing's for sure: those wanting to take the issue to a vote haven't exactly kept quiet over the last week.
"We're over halfway; [we] hit the halfway mark on Monday," Corinth For A Vote spokesperson Franz Schnabl said.
That means at least 1,200 voters have already signed up.
The organization's website, CorinthForAVote.com, has petitions voters can download and mail in.
It also lists businesses with petitions ready to sign as well.
Schnabl said even though some people may think those pushing the petition are also pushing for liquor, that's not his nor the group's intent.
"It's not a group that's for or against liquor sales in the city of Corinth," Schnabl said. "We just want to give people the option to vote on whether we can sell liquor here."
Business owner Russell Smith said the outcome of a future vote has a lot to do with whether or not he opens another restaurant in the city.
"It could definitely give us a profitability [factor] that we just don't have," Smith said.
That being said, Smith already owns Russell's Beef House along Highway 72. Even if liquor passes, he won't serve it or beer in that establishment.
"I'm definitely not changing anything in my current restaurant, because it does just fine without it," Smith said.
Still, he says he understands the concerns from those who don't want it.
"This issue, whether you are for or against it, is one of the hot-button issues of Corinth. It has been for a long time," Smith added.
Historically, Corinth voters have proven that. Citywide referendums in 1993 and 2005 failed to pass, as did those held across Alcorn County.
"We never had the opportunity to have a city-only vote. It's always been county and city. People are really excited for this to just be a city-only vote," Schnabl said.
