The Rome Alcohol Control Commission voted unanimously Monday night to deny a downtown lounge’s request to host a “Girls Gone Wild” promotional event in October.

Nudity and sexually oriented entertainment is barred from establishments with alcohol licenses.

Attorney David Guldenschuh represented McCrobies, a restaurant and

bar at 325 Broad St., during the hour-and-a-half hearing.

“Like you, my first reaction was ‘you’ve got to be kidding,’ ” he told the six-member panel made up of three city commissioners and three members of the public.

But Guldenschuh said he changed his mind after researching the company, contract and previous GGW “Search for America’s Hottest Girl” parties in other cities.

Film crews in the bar would be looking for clothed women, he emphasized, and security would be present to deter spontaneous “flashing.”

He also touted the economic boost the event would give to struggling downtown venues, which would likely benefit from overflow crowds and curious visitors.

ACC members, however, focused on the 60-foot tour bus where selected contestants would be taken for interviews and legal paperwork. And they rejected Guldenschuh’s attempts to distance the “model search” from the GGW-brand adult videos.

“You’re asking us to ignore that it’s ‘Girls Gone Wild’ at the same time you’re saying the (party) is a marketing tool,” member Julia Dent said.

A bone of contention was the activity that could occur on the bus, which must be parked as close as possible to the front of McCrobies under the proposed promotional contract.

Guldenschuh said the bar could not be held responsible for any lewd behavior outside its doors, while City Attorney Andy Davis contended the bus would be part of the event.

“Your client is gambling his alcohol serving license,” member George Kastanias warned Guldenschuh.

Kastanias abstained from the vote, citing a family conflict. Dent, Jane Slickman and City Commissioners Bill Fricks, Jamie Doss and Duane Reid voted against the application.

Fricks, who chairs the committee, typically doesn’t cast a vote but said he wanted to go on record as being opposed. Doss and Reid are running for re-election in November.

City Clerk Joe Smith said there is no mechanism for an appeal of the ACC’s ruling.

Guldenschuh declined to comment following the vote, although he maintained throughout the debate that McCrobies’ entertainment permit covers the event and special permission from the ACC is not required under the ordinance.

ROME NEWS TRIBUNE