Finnegan's to Reopen Next Week Once Debts Are Settled, Mayor Says

, which lost its state liquor license Friday, should be back in business next week, Plainfield Mayor Michael Collins said Saturday.

Collins, the village's liquor commissioner, said Finnegan's owner Dale Lewis assured him he will have no problem quickly resolving the debts he owes that led to the license revocation.

"I talked to Mr. Lewis yesterday and he told me he expected he would get his recertification by the early part of next week," he said. "We certainly don't want a viable business like that to close."

Collins said Lewis was in "arrears" on some payments but would not to specify if the debts were tied to taxes or to vendors.

According to Crain's Chicago Business' ChicagoRealEstateDaily.com, two liens are pending against the business at 24102 Lockport St. While there is no information cited as to who obtained the liens, the Web site lists one for $52,202 filed Aug. 9, 2011, and another for $141,799 filed July 29, 2011.

Because all state offices are closed until Tuesday morning because of the Labor Day holiday, no information from the State of Illinois Liquor Control Commission or any other government agency will be available until then.

Plainfield Police Chief John Konopek, who served notice of the liquor license revocation to Finnegan's Friday, concurred that the problems were financial not criminal. The business was not forced to close, he said.

“It didn’t have anything to do with underage drinking or anything involving alcohol,” he said. “It was (owner) Dale Lewis’ decision that they would close. They could have kept serving food, just not alcohol.”

Lewis could not be reached for comment, but this note was posted on the Facebook page for Finnegan’s Irish Pub: “We are taking a much needed family vacation and the pub will be closed until Wednesday. Enjoy your weekend!”

Finnegan’s opened in 2009, a year after Lewis and his wife Pam closed O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub, which was located for nearly five years in the building now housing .

The license revocation comes just one week after the Midwest Brewers Fest, a fundraiser for the redevelopment of the old Electric Park, which was orchestrated by Lewis and owner Steve Caton.

Collins said he thought the craft beer festival went very well and he has not heard of any financial problems stemming from the event.

Since Lewis and Caton would like the festival to become an annual occurrence, the mayor said he and Konopek planned to meet with them to analyze the event in more detail and discuss what changes might be made next year.