City officials are complaining that some Badger fans drunk dialed"" them from the Stadium Bar Oct. 11 after the bar posted phone numbers to their outdoor big screen TV following the Penn State football game.
The Stadium Bar posted city officials' numbers, including those of Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Ald. Robbie Webber, District 5, after the game in response to city requirements that the bar must close its outdoor beer garden by 10 p.m.
""For the Penn State game we decided we would put a note on our big TV outside [saying] 'Sorry for the inconvenience, this is due to an ordinance,'"" Stadium Bar Head Manager and Operator Jim Luedtke said. ""If you have a problem with the ordinance, contact these people and we listed them.""
Luedtke said the decision to put up the numbers, which came after the Ohio State game one week prior, caused customer complaints of the beer garden's early close time.
Although the numbers posted are public information, the calls received as a result are being criticized. Webber said she received a number of hostile voicemails on her home phone number.
""I personally think it doesn't matter what the occasion is unless it's an emergency or the person is a friend, it's not OK to call me late at night,"" Webber said.
Joel Plant, assistant to the mayor, said Cieslewicz did not receive calls, but found the posting and calls inappropriate.
The Penn State incident follows a series of arguments and meetings between the city and the Stadium Bar over the past year.
The city requires any business with outdoor food and beverage to have a conditional permit, which requires beer gardens to close at 10 p.m. and have limits on capacity. Weber said a hearing between the city and the Stadium Bar is scheduled for December to discuss if the establishment violated the terms of its permit and to come to an agreement on what the permit entitles.
""Were not dealing with a rogue establishment that's causing all sorts of trouble,"" Plant said. ""What we would like to do is just sit down with them, make sure everyone knows what they can do and when they can do it.
