Dive Bar Fires New Hires and Plans Another Name Change

After a number of with , and the village claiming there was “some significant problems with the establishment,” owners of have announced some change in leadership and .

Ronald Stortz, the bar’s owner, and his manager Sue Powers were called to appear at the Finance and Personnel Committee Tuesday night to explain what’s happened and what they intended to do.

“We had an internal problem with our limited liability corporation,” Powers explained to the committee. “The man causing the problems and police actions has been removed. in those police actions and has been removed. We removed him and all his hires with the exception of one girl.”

Jeremy Smith, the Village Administrator, said Lt. Jim Gumm and other Sussex police have been checking in at Dive Bar over the last three weeks, and there haven’t been any additional problems.

However, with all the recent police actions at the bar, Power’s scheduled acquisition of the business from Stortz has been pushed from February to June. The committee believes they need some more time for Dive Bar to prove itself before a transition of ownership.

“I apologize for the inconvenience,” said Stortz to the committee. “From now on, I don’t want anyone drinking behind the bar… Sue has been doing a good job and I told her the name’s got to be changed because of the reputation.”

So now, just three months after Sussex Place changed its name to Dive Bar, another rebranding is in the works. Powers said the bar is currently doing a “name the bar” promotion where, for $5, residents can submit a suggested name on some paper at the bar. Dive Bar staff will then choose which one they like best sometime next week.

In the meantime, Powers and Stortz insist the bar is no longer going to be a problem.

“Were happy to see Waukesha and Sussex’s finest anytime for a positive time.”