SCHENECTADY, NY — “I want to make sure everybody’s rights are protected, and that includes Mr. Alexson’s,” insists Frank Maurizio, the chairman of the Schenectady City Council’s Development and Planning Committee.Mauizio’s assurances are likely to be cold comfort to Bob Alexson, whose presumed crime is hosting occasional adult parties in his Union Street Bed & Breakfast.
Called a “club” by those who oppose the parties, they came to public notice in January and sparked a controversy about whether such establishments should be allowed to exist within the city – or whether the public has a right to regulate what activities go on inside of Alexson’s bed and breakfast, in general.
Among the city’s possible weapons against sex “clubs” such as Alexson’s is alleged to be, is strengthening a noise ordinance that would make the owner of any business liable for citation if customers are reported as disruptive while on the property.
Before pursuing this, however, the council says it wants to hear from the public, with the possibility of a follow-up move to entirely ban sex clubs from the city. Such a ban is reported by Assistant Corporation Counsel L. John Van Nordel to have been upheld in Phoenix, possibly providing a model for emulation.
Alexson, bracing for a costly legal battle, has sold off property owned within the city in order to finance his defense, insisting that he is not running a sex club, although he does host private parties, which he contends the city has no right to regulate. “They don’t have anything,” he insists, proposing that the move may be a ploy by lawmakers in dodge heat from a 46-percent raise for the city’s mayor and the recent guilty plea to assault by a former city council member.
Officials insist that Alexson’s parties can be regulated because he charges a fee; $40 for men, $30 and for male/female couples. Women unescorted by a man are allowed free entry. Alexson counters that the door fees are necessary in order to pay for food and other party related supplies.
