A friend sent along a copy of this press release from McGinley’s:
McGinley’s says Sullivan is only 10% owner, upset at Prop 64 protests
HIGHWATER, LLC, d/b/a/ McGinley’s PubContact: Jack Lewis, Managing Partner
Phone: 907-444-3791
Web site: www.mcginleyspub.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMCGINLEY’S PUB SETS RECORD STRAIGHT ABOUT
OWNERSHIP AFTER RECENT DISRUPTION
Mayor Sullivan Only One Owner and Minority Shareholder of PubANCHORAGE, ALASKA, Aug. 21, 2009 – Recently McGinley’s Pub, a local downtown restaurant and bar, has found itself as the attack point of a political controversy. On Monday, Aug. 17, a group of protestors caused major disruptions at the pub by picketing and blocking the entrance to patrons in response to the veto of a contentious ordinance by Mayor Dan Sullivan. News reports consistently note that Mayor Sullivan is the owner of McGinley’s Pub, but he is merely one owner and a minority shareholder.
McGinley’s Pub was established in 2006 and is owned by Highwater, LLC, which contains multiple owners. Mayor Sullivan is a 10 percent owner – a minority shareholder within the LLC. All the owners within the LLC come from various backgrounds and have diverse political philosophies. The political opinions of one owner do not reflect the opinions of the McGinley’s Pub as a whole.
“McGinley’s is a non-political establishment, an equal opportunity employer and a good corporate citizen. We [the owners] felt that based on the unruly actions of a few and slightly flawed media reports, that it was time to set the record straight,” McGinley’s Pub Managing Partner Jack Lewis said. “The pub enjoys a great cross section of Anchorage and the visiting population alike. It’s a great place to meet with friends and family to have fun.”
“We’d be happy to invite those picketers in for a Guiness and show them how the Irish mend their differences,” Lewis concludes.
- Does McGinley’s include sexual orientation and gender identity as part of their “equal opportunity employer” official policy?
- LGBT people are “only 10%” of the population. It’s not actually an insignificant proportion — nor is Mr. Sullivan’s 10% minority ownership.
- In the words of the editor of Bent Alaska, “They can mend their differences by signing the Equality Works statement in support of the ordinance.”
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I am straight .. I support GLBT rights… always have. I was living in San Francisco during Harvey Milk’s days of protest and social change. You are advocating the right way to do things.
Peaceful protest and hit em in the wallet. Good going guys and girls. I will be there tonight.
I’ve told every one I can — it’s still the right thing to do!
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I’m the guy in the center of that picture, straight but not narrow and I identify as a progressive Republican, because I’m old and cranky. I have gay, lesbian and bi friends and support the cause of equality for all human beings. BUT you’ll note that I am not blocking the entrance nor did I ever. I held up a sign for their customers to read “HATE is NOT a Christian value!” — for about a half hour, maybe an hour. One other person stayed as long as I did and neither of us ever “blocked the entrance”. At one point one of the employees came out of the door (pictured about eight feet to my right in the picture) and told us to go away or she was going to call the cops. I encouraged her to do so since I was just standing there, on a public sidewalk, silently holding a sign. I wished her good luck getting one to respond to a peaceful, non-violent protest.
I had the idea to do this early on and also to stage a massive protest at Prevo’s ABT but one that DOES block the entrance there, one where people would be willing to get arrested for acts of civil disobedience and probably trespassing. I don’t know if the community can ever get organized enough to promote that last idea, but if it ever does, add my name to the list of people who will be there.
-Laz
http://omfgalaska.blogspot.com/
Laz: After I posted this post, I talked with other people who had stayed to the end of Monday night’s post-veto protest, and it became clear that in fact no one had blocked the entrance — that the account in the press release was inaccurate to say the least. It’s one item that made me skeptical of what Jack Lewis (managing partner) reportedly said to Michael Mason when he went in & talked with him Friday evening (next post). I don’t have too much patience for people on either side of any question who tell lies to shore up their arguments. Thanks for posting this comment, because it makes it even more clear that Jack Lewis’ credibility is suspect.