**Updated 8:30 p.m.
The deciding vote to reject once and for all a new CVS Pharmacy was cast by Mayor John Dickert.
Despite his best efforts to get fellow alderpersons to reconsider, Henry Perez was unable to garner the necessary support to approve a new CVS Pharmacy at the corner of Ohio Street and Washington Avenue.
The Journal Times reported that a vote was held Tuesday at the Common Council meeting and the proposed store was rejected again, but the original count of who fell on which side was unavailable. Wednesday afternoon, the newspaper listed Dickert’s vote as the tie-breaker.
CVS was rejected 8-7.
The new store was planned at more than 13,000 square feet and would have replaced its current store a half-mile east at West and Washington and that store would close.
CVS had an option to purchase the buildings housing Racine Cyclery, American Coin, the vacant building in between and the empty cash store next door to Racine Cyclery. The store also was going to buy at least three homes and level it all to make way for the new pharmacy and parking lot.
After an August 3 vote denying the necessary rezone request, Perez attempted to introduce a reconsideration measure, but because the discussion was not noticed on an agenda and wasn’t compelled by an alderperson who was on the winning side of the denial vote, the rest of the council could not legally address it.
During the meeting Tuesday, Perez asked for a vote sending the matter to the Committee of the Whole, but board President Dennis Wiser instead directed the issue to a vote, the story continues.
Perez and several other council members expressed concern about holding the vote so quickly because Jim Kaplan, a key supporter of the store, had to leave early and was unable to vote.