Surry Commissioners Rescind Ban On Coca-Cola Machines In County Buildings

Surry County commissioners have rescinded a decision to remove Coca-Cola vending machines from county-owned buildings. 

The Surry County board voted last week to remove the 12 vending machines as a protest against remarks made by James Quincey. He's Coca-Cola's CEO in Atlanta, where the company is based.

Quincey had criticized legislation passed in Georgia that overhauled the state's voting laws.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports that several people spoke out against the vending machine ban at an open forum Monday night, including three representatives from Charlotte-based Coca-Cola Consolidated. They pointed out that their business is a separate entity from the Coca-Cola Company, and that the ban would mainly impact its 37 employees in Mount Airy.

The commissioners also heard from several county residents who said removing the vending machines was the wrong approach.

In the end, the board voted 3-2 to rescind the vending machine ban.