A liquor commissioner has resigned in disgrace after drunkenly flashing her badge to get into a nightclub and threatening to shut it down.
Lisa Martin, vice-chairwoman of the Honolulu Liquor Commission, stepped down on Monday after bar staff called police when she refused to leave.
The 54-year-old arrived at Playbar Nightclub in Waikiki in the early hours of Saturday morning and used her badge to get her and a friend inside.
Bar staff quickly decided they were too drunk and confronted them, but Martin allegedly tried to use her position to intimidate them.
‘[Martin said] she will close the bar down because she can do anything she wants with the badge. She threatened to close down the bay, and I would lose my job,’ an employee told police in a report obtained by Hawaii News.
Staff took a photo of her official ID and she snapped shots of their liquor commission cards, and still refused to leave so they called police.
‘I smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from (her)… I told her she’s not supposed to do her job drunk,’ the responding officer wrote in the report.
Martin finally left with her friend after police arrived. The report was compiled as a record of the incident and Martin was not charged with a crime.
Liquor commissioners are not supposed to inspect venues or do any other kind of field work, which is done by professional inspectors.
Martin was quickly forced to quit and Mayor Rick Blangiardi accepted her resignation letter.
‘I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you and Managing Director [Mike] Formby today regarding my sincere desire to continue serving,’ it read.
Hellbound and Down 