Small victory for proposed Andrew Square tavern: State senator now offers 'conditional' support as long as it doesn't do something it wasn't planning to

State Sen. Nick Collins (D-1st Suffolk) is now offering his support for the proposed Small Victories tavern on Dorchester Street in South Boston, two days after he angrily denounced it as a potential home of online-dating "vidiots" and degenerates being pushed by buttinsky East Bostonians.

In a letter to Kathleen Joyce as chair of the Boston Licensing Board - although she was acting in her role as chair of the Mayor's Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing, a separate board - Collins said owner Josh Weinstein's plans were fine with him as long as the office ensured that Weinstein not have a DJ spinning records until 2 a.m., something Weinstein had told the board on Thursday he had no intentions of doing. Weinstein also told the board that and that not only would he not have a late-night DJ, at the request of neighbors and the Andrew Square Civic Association, he would turn off his proposed photo booth and shuffleboard court no later than 1 a.m. The association's president strongly endorsed his plans at Thursday's hearing.

Collins wrote Joyce:

I write with conditional support for the proposed entertainment license being proposed for Small Victories, 400 Dorchester Street in South Boston. The Andrew Square Civic Association supports the establishment as one that will add value and an amenity to the square they have been searching for.

While the entertainment license proposal includes several elements that I support, concerns have been raised about a 2:00 AM disc jockey license being granted from the outset. The board may consider moving cautiously up front by approving an earlier time limit for the disc jockey license at the outset and with time and good results, the hours could be revisited

Collins's letter to Joyce did not saying anything about what he called the "offensive" behavior of East Boston residents and city councilor daring to express an opinion about a proposed South Boston bar - to be run by a man who currently runs a tavern in their neighborhood.

At Tuesday's hearing, Joyce said she would write a decision on Weinstein's request for an entertainment license in the coming days. He already has permission from the separate licensing board to purchase a liquor license.