CLEVELAND — Cleveland City Council unanimously passed a Resolution by emergency on Wednesday that objects to renewing TownHall's liquor license.
Cleveland Ward 7 councilmember Austin Davis, the author of the resolution, told me he is basing this decision off local business owner Bobby George's criminal record.
George owns TownHall on West 25th Street and Barley House on West Sixth Street in Cleveland, among other restaurants and businesses.
According to police reports and court records, the alleged victim, a woman George was dating, detailed multiple incidents of domestic violence.
She alleged George strangled her while slamming her head against a table, which caused her to bleed from her ears on Nov. 14, 2023.
Among other incidents, she alleged George raped her after she got out of the shower, pointed a gun at her and demanded she come back inside a residence she was trying to leave, and tried to kill her by shoving a towel down her throat.
George initially faced nine felony counts related to those accusations.
According to Cleveland Municipal Court records, a warrant was issued for George on the following charges in 2024:
- One count of attempted murder
- One count of rape
- Four counts of kidnapping
- One count of felonious assault
- Two counts of strangulation
When asked after his arraignment in October 2025 how his criminal case is affecting those businesses, he said, "This case doesn't affect my business at all. Doesn't affect me or my business at all."
However, Davis said he doesn't want bar owners with criminal records operating in his ward.
"It's (TownHall) a flagship institution, and more to the point, it's the one that I represent," Davis said Wednesday. "It's important in my community that we make sure our bar owners don't have records like these. The entire case was dire. An attempted strangulation plea, it's a fifth-degree felony. The math here is pretty serious no matter what, how you think about it."
As the resolution objecting to the liquor license renewal was approved on Wednesday, it now heads to the Ohio Division of Liquor Control for review. Scheduling a state-sanctioned hearing looks to be the next step, according to Davis.
Per state law, the Ohio Division of Liquor Control "may refuse to issue any permit to or refuse to renew any permit of any person convicted of any felony that is reasonably related to the person's fitness to operate a liquor permit business in this state."
Davis said, "This is just the starting whistle for an elaborate bureaucratic process. (For) folks in our community, it's a privilege to be able to operate in our community. Politics or business practices, that's none of my business, but when you're hurting people, there's no role for you here."
I reached out to both George's attorney as well as TownHall on Wednesday for a response to the license renewal objection. I'm waiting to hear back.
