" With all due respect FG, Sennett shoud not be giving up safety issues just to please business. I would have thought that you of all people would understand that.

Like I said, Bonca's may have been victimized by overzealous code enforcement/zoning bs. They still have a resposibility for public safety, and the certificate of occupancy is the last step in the process. This shouldn't be a big deal. "

" As a distant observer (in Aurora), it certainly seems like the municipality should have taken a partnership approach -- that is to say, they should have been willing to work with the new owners to help them pass whatever inspections and certifications are needed. It's pretty apparent that having the restaurant renovated, open and doing business is highly desireable, and highly desired by the community. Therefore the town should be doing all it can to help that happen in a timely fashion instead of going all adversarial and making it into an ugly issue. I have not heard anyone comment that they think the new owners have been unreasonable; it sounds rather like they have been pushed into a defensive/strike-back position by rigid and uncooperative town officials. I could be wrong, but that's sure how it looks from here.

It just seems that if your common goal is to have the restaurant safe, clean, healthy and open for business, the two parties should be working TOGETHER towards that end, rather and sniping and threatening and posturing around. "

" I wonder what people would be saying if they opened, had overflow crowds, and a fire broke out, injuring and possibly killing several people, and it was found that they had exceeded the occupancy limit.

I obviously do not know everything that has transpired between the owners and code enforcement/zoning officals, and perhaps Bonca's was victim of some overzealousness in certain instances.

That said, it seems to me they are doing the right thing to protect the public, as is their job, and themselves from the public who would be crying foul should such an incident occur.

Just sayin, something to think about' .... "

" I agree...it's disturbing to see how a little power can go to people's heads. "