DeLissio On The Privatization of Liquor Stores

State Rep. Pam DeLissio, D-194, told the approximately 40 people in attendance Tuesday that she decided to hold quarterly town hall meetings to inform constituents, dialouge about current initatives and address other state and local concerns.

Tuesday's meeting at focused mostly on the priorities of the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Governor's office during the current session.

For the House, it's the privatization of liquor stores.

"We are trying to undo a 70 year event," she said, adding that her major concern with privatizing the stores is the potential loss of approximately $500 million the state receives from the liquor stores annually.

Under proposed legislation, the state would reap nearly $2 billion from the sale of the state's approximately 700 liquor liceses but, DeLissio said, once something is sold there is no more money coming in.

According to the state rep, a 24-member privatization commission was recently formed to address a number of privatization issues, but her concern with the new organization it is heavily manned by people in private industry and the corporate world.

Currently 4,000 people are employed by state stores, DeLissio said, adding that although it's been said that those employees will tried to be absorbed into other areas of state government, nothing is promised. The state rep also said she heard that a tax credit could be offered to private businesses that keep current employees but that, she said, is only for a limited time.

"Things are changing all the time," she said.

One resident said he was in favor of the privatization of liquor stores, calling the state's involvement in the process "immoral."

But for DeLissio, it is not a question of morals or ethics, it is a question of dollars and cents.

The sale of all the licenses' and potential decrease in funding could lead to the cuts in other state-funded programs that relied on that $500 million.

Check back with Patch the rest of the week for DeLissio's views on school vouchers and taxing of the Marcellus Shale.