West End Strip Club Plans Move Forward; Opposition Meeting Held

West End residents finally got their public hearing in City Council chambers Monday night on a proposed strip club.

An abandoned medical building along West Carson Street was submitted as a location for a strip club by Marquise Investments in June 2008. A series of mistakes within city government gave the business owners a legal win without the council having a chance to hear the issues.

"Somebody's lying about this, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it," Councilman Doug Shields said during Monday's meeting.

Shields lashed out against the planning board for failure to cite legal reasoning in its denial of the initial proposal, while also calling for disciplinary action against city attorneys who allegedly failed to notify council members of the need for a public hearing.

The strip club would be built next to the Onala Addiction Recovery Center. Volunteers are worried about the impact the club could have on their members.

"Had that been here when I came through, it would have a big temptation. It would have been hard not to focus on that," said Randy Jackson, a former patient at the center.

Councilman Bruce Kraus told the group that he is also a recovering alcoholic, 22 years clean and sober, and understands their concerns.

An appeal is still pending in the Common Pleas Court.

Channel 11 News called the man behind the strip club venture, Patrick Risha Jr., but he did not want to comment.

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