Maine- from www.wabi.tv - It looks like the owner of Bangor's only exotic dance club, Diva's on Harlow street, will get the chance to convince city leaders to allow her dancers to bare it all.
Diane Cormier owns Diva's. The club sells alcohol but dancers must keep their clothes on. She's been pleading with the Bangor City Council to amend the city's adult entertaiment policy so her club could feature both the serving of alcohol and nudity. Monday night she took a her first step towards that goal.
"I was so happy when Pat Blanchette finally spoke up because year after year I've been going up there asking them to revisit the ordinances," says Cormier, "at least to be competitive with Portland ordinances which is topless with g-strings."
Bangor City Council Chair Richard Stone has served on the city council for 6 years. He says this is the first time this matter has gone to committee. He says cormier shouldn't be celebrating just yet. "If it goes to committee some people may want to make it tighter than it already is."
Other employees at Diva's say the fate of their club could depend on the city council's ruling. Dean Perry has worked at Diva's for 7 years. "This place feeds and takes care of 20-30 employees and like I say if this passes it's gonna do wonders to keeping this business afloat and if it fails we're on the edge," he says, "that's another 20-30 people out there on the streets you know sucking off the system basically."
Mayor Stone says he doesn't how the committee will decide. If they make changes to the ordinance it will go back to the full council for a vote and he knows where he stands on the isssue. "I'm opposed to it," says Stone, "when you look at all the top cities in Bangor for livability Bangor has always ranked right up there. I've never seen in all the other communities because they had a great topless bar.
Cormier says it's up to the people to decide whether to come to Diva's. "If you don't want to come in here don't," she says, "but don't tell me I can't or don't have a right"
The committee could have their ruling in just a few weeks.
