The Thirsty Perch, a longtime restaurant and bar in Iola, Wisconsin, that lost its Class B liquor license, has accused village officials of unfair treatment, selective enforcement, and personal bias during its effort to obtain a new license.

The village board voted unanimously in June 2025 not to renew the license following complaints and a public hearing. The business has continued operating without alcohol service while pursuing appeals and the new application.

In a May 27, 2026, Facebook post, owner Sheri Miller described a recent village board working meeting, portraying the process as biased against the business, which has operated for years in a building that housed a bar for more than 50 years. She urged community members to contact the village trustees to support fairness and the reopening.

Miller said there is no one-year waiting period preventing reapplication. She reported that the village clerk noted that the anniversary — mid-June — had not yet arrived and that the business would need to apply as a “new” establishment, despite its ongoing presence and an unsettled lawsuit over the previous year’s non-renewal. The clerk also said she could not find records showing the business held a license last year, according to Miller.

The post highlighted opposition from a Baptist church that moved in after the building had long operated as a bar. Miller noted the church had received an exemption the previous year.

On ordinance violations, Miller addressed two citations. One was pled down; she paid the fine, and the village attorney told her it would not affect the liquor license, she said. The remaining violation involved a bartender leaving a gate open on a Sunday. Miller described the gate as symbolic, saying it neither keeps minors out nor serves a protective function, and called its treatment disproportionate.

Miller also cited paperwork problems. She said she was unsure whether to mark the application as “new” or a reapplication, received no help, and noted that the village no longer provides prior-year paperwork as previous clerks had. She described the errors as honest mistakes made while handling the process alone and said they do not show unfitness to operate a business.

She further accused village officials of unequal treatment. While other businesses received letters or emails about reapplying, the Thirsty Perch and another bar owner, Mark McCoy, according to Miller, received no such correspondence and learned of the requirement indirectly from another bar owner. Miller called the process unfair and lacking transparency.

Following a closed session, parts of which were audible to those present, the clerk told trustees they must vote in accordance with laws and ordinances, Miller reported. She maintained that the business has committed no disqualifying violations, that no ordinance bars the application, and that any denial would stem from personal feelings rather than law. No decisions were announced afterward.

Iola Village Clerk/Treasurer Laura Krogwold indicated on Thursday, May 28, “The liquor license process is mandated by state law. The village board is obligated to follow and enforce state law. They will do so at the June 9th village board meeting, where all liquor license applications will be handled.”

Miller framed the issue as bigger than one business, saying it affects livelihoods, employees, community gatherings, live music, village history, and its future. She referenced the village president’s earlier comment about hitting a “reset button” and called for consistency, an end to double standards, and an end to selective enforcement. The post asks only for fairness and equal treatment, not special favors, and encourages residents to contact trustees to support reopening as a step toward healing division in the village.