Ballot fight over wine sales sets spending record

Supermarket chains and liquor sellers easily broke the spending record for Massachusetts ballot questions yesterday, dropping approximately $11.5 million on the fight for an initiative that would allow wine to be sold in more food stores.

The total expenditures on Question 1 will go higher, since the campaign finance reports filed yesterday cover only through Nov. 1. Even so, money spent on the alcohol fight already exceed s the $9.1 million spent in 1988 when voters overwhelmingly defeated a question that would have effectively shut down the state's nuclear power plants.

Denis Kennedy, a spokesman for the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance, said that in previous high-budget ballot campaigns only one side made the big expenditures .

"In this case, you have substantial campaign activity by both sides," Kennedy said.

The furious spending reflects the closeness of the race. A poll conducted Nov. 1-2 by the State House News Service indicated the result was too close to call, with the " no " forces holding a slim lead, 49 percent to 47 percent.

Supermarkets reported spending $6.9 million through Nov. 1, and adding another $291,384 in in-kind contributions . Stop & Shop Cos. put up 38 percent of the supermarket money, contributing $2.6 million through Nov. 1. Shaw's Supermarkets added $1.4 million.

Package stores, liquor wholesalers, and beer distributors spent $4.57 million through Nov. 1, and donated $66,240 in in-kind contributions.

Both sides in the campaign have reported no contributions so far from regular voters. All of the money has come from businesses with a financial stake in the outcome. On ballot questions, corporations are allowed to make contributions and there are no restrictions on the amount.

Question 1 would allow cities and towns, at their discretion, to issue wine-at-food-store licenses in addition to the existing liquor licenses allowed under the law. Each community could issue five such licenses, and communities with more than 5,000 residents could issue one more license for each additional 5,000 residents. Potentially 2,879 wine-at-food-store licenses could be issued in the state.

Both the supermarket and liquor sellers held events yesterday where they stressed their main themes. At a Whole Foods store in Newton, a handful of women carried signs and urged shoppers to vote for Question 1.

"We are sick of listening to the negative ad campaign, all the lies being told about Question 1," said Michele Gillen , a Needham mother of two who said she wanted the convenience of buying wine at the supermarket.

In front of a 7-Eleven store downtown, City Councilor John Tobin of West Roxbury, Revere Police Chief Terry Reardon , and Ron Bersani , who helped fight for a tougher state drunk-driving law after his granddaughter was killed by a drunk driver, said Question 1 would exacerbate alcohol issues in Massachusetts. They also warned that passage of Question 1 would allow convenience stores and gas station minimarts to sell wine.

Reardon said officials can't police the package stores the state currently has. "We have too many to have proper control over now," Reardon said.

But consumers going in and out of the Whole Foods Market and Marty's Liquors next door said that they viewed Question 1 as an industry fight that they were going to have to settle in the voting booth.

Laura Davis of Newton, a Whole Foods shopper, said the entire issue is silly. She was amazed that people would be holding signs campaigning .

"I'll probably vote yes because it is just more convenient," she said.

Joan and Dick Cleary of Newton were interviewed after leaving Marty's and while heading toward Whole Foods to do their food shopping. Dick Cleary called the entire campaign "much ado about nothing."

The Clearys said they didn't buy the campaign claims of the opponents of Question 1 -- that passage would lead to more drunk driving and underage drinking. Nevertheless, they said, they intended to vote against the question.

"Package stores should sell liquor, not food stores," said Dick Cleary.

Bruce Mohl can be reached at mohl@globe.com.