High Stakes Over Country Club Liquor License Transfers Dominates Kingston Selectmen Reorganization Meeting
KINGSTON - May 19, 2026 - The Kingston Board of Selectmen kicked off their post-election cycle with a high-stakes meeting featuring a reorganization of board leadership, an extensive review of the upcoming Annual Town Meeting warrant, and an intense debate surrounding alleged illegal liquor license transfers at the Indian Pond Country Club. The board ultimate voted to take no immediate enforcement action against the establishment, choosing instead to allow a new ownership group to fast-track their formal transfer applications after hearing assurances that day-to-day liquor operations remain under the legal stewardship of the historical licensee.
The Full Story
The meeting commenced with the standard annual post-election reorganization of the board. Selectman Carl Pike nominated Kim Emberg to serve as the new chairperson of the Board of Selectmen, a motion that carried unanimously. Missy Bateman was subsequently appointed as the vice chairperson, and newly returned board member Sheila Vaughn accepted the role of clerk. Joe Cunningham Jr., also elected to the board in the recent Saturday municipal race, was welcomed to his first official session.
The board immediately stepped into an adjudicatory public hearing regarding three separate annual restaurant all-alcoholic beverage licenses issued to the Indian Pond Country Club for its Function Room, The Grill Room, and the Members Pub. Town Counsel Kayla Venckauskas explained that the town became aware on April 27, 2026, that the underlying real estate of the country club had been transferred from Indian Pond Country Club Inc. to Palmer IPCC Inc. on May 1, 2026, without prior municipal or Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) approval of the accompanying liquor licenses.
Albert DiNapoli, attorney for the new property owner Bobby Palmer, presented an interim management agreement executed between Palmer’s corporation and the historical club owner. DiNapoli argued that while the physical property was conveyed, the liquor business itself had not technically changed hands. He noted that the prior license holder, Fred Tonsberg, remains on-site, rents an office, maintains primary liquor liability insurance, and holds total fiscal and operational control over ordering alcohol until a formal license transfer can be fully executed. Palmer, also present, noted he is actively shadowing operations to revamp the club’s vision.
