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Hotel California liquor license in limbo
By ROBERT CONNELLY
AUSTINTOWN
Hotel California’s fight for a liquor license took some strong jabs Monday night from officials and residents who can’t forget the building’s past as a strip club and law- enforcement headache.
Township trustees, a Mahoning County commissioner and residents, plus workers at the 1051 N. Canfield-Niles Road hotel debated at Monday’s trustee meeting.
Hotel California is owned by Sebastian Rucci and is where Rucci’s previous topless dance club, Go Go Girls Cabaret, closed in September 2011.
The venture is just up state Route 46 from the soon-to-open Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course, which will serve liquor.
But the hotel’s liquor license, under the name of attorney James Vitullo, a business partner of Rucci’s, had two objections filed against it — from the county and township trustees. That matter was set to go before a Ohio Division of Liquor Control hearing Monday, but was delayed by the township.
Matt Mullins, a liquor control spokesman, said he expects it to happen near the end of this month or the beginning of October.
Speaking in support of the hotel and liquor license were Dave Robich, owner of the Funny Farm comedy club, which recently moved to the hotel; and John Batcho, entertainment director of the hotel’s music division.
Those who spoke against were township Trustee Jim Davis; Mahoning County Commissioner David Ditzler, who was an Austintown trustee when the Go Go was open; and two residents.
“Sebastian Rucci hurt Sebastian Rucci and brought this upon himself, to have his liquor license brought into question,” Davis said. Rucci did not attend the meeting.
Trustee Lisa Oles said she would have no comment on the matter because of past dealings with Rucci in his previous criminal cases. These have included allegations of prostitution, corrupt activity and money laundering — all cases that Rucci lost and then won on appeal.
Rucci still faces an appeal of a jury verdict in Mahoning County Area Court in the township on being found guilty of keeping a place where beer or liquor are sold illegally, and illegal sales of liquor. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and $820 in fines.
At Hotel California, Robich said, all employees will be drug-tested. The venture would bring 50 to 60 new jobs to the township.
Robich also said he has worked with Rucci as a consultant for six months and acknowledged Rucci’s Go Go past, saying, “We want everyone here to know there is no intention of opening that type of business again.”
Davis, though, spoke about Rucci’s past dealings with the township. “I’m here to tell you today, I’ve got a backbone and I will stand up for my officers and my employees and I intend to do that, and that’s why I object to this [liquor license].”
Residents along with Davis and Ditzler offered the suggestion of opening without liquor, hiring a hotel management company, and then applying for another license down the road.
“We simply want what every applicant wants and deserves and is entitled to, and that is the opportunity to present our case to the proper authorities and have our case fairly judged on its merits,” Robich said.