The Aurora City Council on Tuesday night turned down adding another tattoo parlor license in the city.
The 7-4 vote against adding a fifth allowed license in effect killed the chance for a license for Paradise Tattoo House, which was looking to locate along High Street in the 1st Ward.
But Mayor Richard Irvin, who supported the new tattoo parlor, promised owner Brandon Rodriguez he would help him find a new location in the city.
Irvin, who grew up in the 1st Ward, recalled his days “walking up and down High Street” and patronizing some of its businesses.
“This is a legitimate business that deserves an opportunity,” Irvin said.
The business would be owned by Rodriguez, whose supporters portrayed as a well-known tattoo artist who wanted to open his own business. He was seeking to open in a building along High Street near the Jack Hill High Street Bridge, in a former barber shop building whose owner was willing to modify the building for Rodriguez.
Rodriguez said he intended to use his new business to not only support his family, but to provide for the youth of the city.
“This is not just about me trying to build something for myself, but doing something for the community,” he said.
Other family members and friends said the store would be safe and have a friendly environment, and that Rodriguez was trying to start a business from scratch.
“More and more tattoos have become commonplace,” said one supporter, who said through social media, people across the country ask Rodriguez to do work for them. “He’s a tattoo artist.”
But the crux of the argument against Rodriguez locating along High Street hinged on whether the area in question is more of a residential one.
Ald. Emmanuel Llamas, 1st Ward, praised Rodriguez for his life story, and said he wanted Rodriguez in the 1st Ward.
“But that physical location is a residential area,” he said. “I’m voting no because of that. Tattoos have come a long way, and if you can find another location, I would support it.”
Several other aldermen supported Llamas’ position because they felt as the representative from the 1st Ward, his wishes should be upheld.
“I do feel like the petitioner has the best intent in mind,” Ald. Patty Smith, 8th Ward, said. “But the ward alderman would know his ward better than anyone else. I feel I have to support him.”
Joining Llamas and Smith in voting against the new license were Alds. Juany Garza, 2nd Ward; Ted Mesiacos, 3rd Ward; William Donnell, 4th Ward; Michael Saville, 6th Ward; and Shweta Baid, 10th Ward.
Voting for the new license were Alds. Carl Franco, 5th Ward; Brandon Tolliver, 7th Ward; Edward Bugg, 9th Ward; and John Laesch, at-large.
Franco said because the city recently revamped the tattoo ordinance, and because Rodriguez had complied with everything in the new ordinance, it could be “discriminatory” not to allow him in under the new regulations.
Laesch, as the alderman at large, attended a recent 1st Ward meeting at which he said feelings about the parlor were mixed from residents in Pigeon Hill, the section of the 1st Ward in which the parlor would have located.
The tattoo ordinance was revised about a year-and-a-half ago, at which time the city allowed four licenses. The vote this week was whether or not to expand that to five licenses to accommodate Paradise; it was not a specific vote on the tattoo parlor itself.
slord@tribpub.com
