Ohio City Officials Go Too Far

Sometimes city officials go too far by substituting their own private views for local regulations or law. That seems to be the case in Reading, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati).

It seems that restaurant owner Kenny Tessel was using a mannequin to promote his eatery -- KT's Barbeque. He placed a female mannequin (pictured above) outside his place dressed in short shorts and a bikini top. He says his business has improved 40% since the skimpily-clad mannequin has been in place.

But it looks like the mannequin offended some of the city fathers. Tessel was called before the Zoning Commission to determine whether he could continue using the mannequin. The commission decided Tessel could keep the mannequin only if he dressed it in a more modest way.

This is just wrong. Tessel said he was going to appeal the verdict, and I believe he should. What law has he violated? None. What community standards has he violated? Again none.

Isn't this a fairly common way of dressing for young women during the summer -- in Ohio and across the United States? And these young women are neither ticketed or arrested, because it is not against the law to dress that way. Also, if this is a fairly common way of dressing and is not illegal, then it is also not a violation of community standards.

If Tessel had put the mannequin outside unclothed or posed it in an obscene way I could understand the commissions' action, but he didn't. So what is the justification for the Zoning Commission's silly ruling? Quite simply, the only thing the restauratuer violated was the commissioners' own sense of prudery.

The city officials are there to uphold the city's laws and ordinances -- not to force their own prudishness on honest citizens. Their decision should be reversed.