Clergy Decry More Access To Booze; Opponents Target 15% Drink Tax

BLACK CLERGY leaders 1st VP Rev. Jay Broadnax, left, and President Rev. Terrence Griffith condemned sale of LCB to private business as bad business for Commonwealth, harmful to working families and dangerous for public health. Photo by Leona Dixon

BY JOE SHAHEELI/ Unless the Black Clergy of Philadelphia & Vicinity can find Republican legislators and senators it has supported in the past, odds are Gov. Tom Corbett’s plan to privatize Pennsylvania state liquor stores is still doable as far as GOP leadership in the General Assembly is concerned.

They intend to pass their version of the budget, without some of the goodies included in the Democratic version. Republican legislators have shown they move to the drumbeat of their leadership when it comes to key legislation. Once that’s done, and barring a delay in the budget’s approval, look for Corbett’s teams to try to move the privatization bill into law before recess.

This doesn’t sit well with the Black Clergy group, which has decided to maintain a watch over what happens in Harrisburg as far as privatization is concerned.

They gathered at a press conference at the church of its President Rev. Terrence Griffith, who spoke for the group, saying the measure would make it easier to obtain alcohol. That, he said, would cause “a spike in underage drinking and drunken driving. We do not want to see liquor sold on every corner in the city of Philadelphia. We don’t want to see more deaths in our community.”

The Majority Republicans, in both chambers of the General Assembly, are pressing to pass a $28.3 billion budget plan that boosts K-12 education funding, restores several public-health programs, hires 300 new state troopers, and increases funding for some state offices.

House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) has said should the Governor’s proposed privatization of state liquor stores pass, revenues from the auction of new licenses will not affect the 2013-14 state budget.

The Corbett plan to dismantle the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and give up control of all state liquor stores is expected to raise between $800 million and $1.2 billion by selling state liquor stores and auctioning off new private liquor licenses. Corbett suggested the $1 billion yield would go toward funding education.

A compromise bill in the House passed in March, but debate has stalled in the Senate.

The House bill would create 1,200 new private wine- and liquor-store licenses, but would set competitive standards that state stores must meet in order to remain open, rather than explicitly shut down all state-controlled outfits.

Adding pressure to stall and possibly kill the privatization effort are unions, supporting Wendell Young, IV, president of Local 1776, whose members work in the state liquor stores.

IT’S obvious well-run Penna. wine and spirits stores are welcome into many communities. Here State Rep. John Sabatina, Jr. helps cut ribbon opening one in his Northeast district.

On another front, Hospitality United of Philadelphia, under the direction of William R. Miller, V, organized a “Stop the Liquor Tax Rally/Fundraiser” at the new FOP headquarters located at 11630 Caroline Road in the Northeast.

John McNesby of the FOP said, “We were more than happy to donate our space for such a worthy cause for Philadelphians. We had bar owners, operators, and distributors from all over the city here in solidarity. We will stay together as a group; working to defeat this present issue and we will remain vigilant addressing any future issues that would have a likewise negative impact.”

City Councilman Bobby Henon, who has been their point man in Council, was glad to see over 300 at the gathering, saying it “showed me people really care about education but they are disappointed in the lack of accountability as it relates to the School District and the City’s abysmal rate of tax collections.”

More than 300 participated in that fundraiser, as well as in a rally inside City Council chambers this week to oppose Mayor Nutter’s proposed “Liquor by the Drink” tax increase of 10% to 15% to support the School District.

Hospitality taxes, like the “Liquor by the Drink” tax, are clearly seen by the opposition as “bad for business, bad for consumers and bad for Philadelphia,” according to Finnigan’s Wake owner Mike Driscoll.

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