Already facing questions about their takeover of the Liquor Control Board (LCB) despite not actually assuming control until July 1, the Worcester County Commissioners defended their policies and promises Tuesday at a public hearing.
“We feel that we were somewhat mislead,” said Shawn Harman, owner of Fish Tales restaurant in Ocean City.
Harman spoke on behalf of the Worcester Alliance for Fair Markets (WAFM), a collection of liquor licensees formed earlier this year in an attempt to have the LCB abolished after the board was found guilty of several trade infractions.
Instead of abolition, however, the commissioners decided to bring the pseudo-government LCB organization under direct county control, a decision that many still consider controversial.
“I don’t believe anyone up here wants to be involved in the liquor business,” said Commission President Bud Church.
The question of whether or not a public government should insert itself into a private industry has been hotly debated in Worcester for many years. Even before the commission decided to absorb the agency, the LCB was still something of a county organization, though it operated independently.
1 comment:
"I don't believe anyone up here wants to be involved in the liquor business" We DO, however, have a very hard time turning our backs on all that cash. And the government selling drugs to addicts? We can overlook that too (because the cash is so sweet). And the side favors and bribes we can get from people FAR outweigh the distasteful business of selling liquor. Now, all you cops who get to have a second job at the LCB store, make sure you bust those OTHER drug users (at least until we can get a piece of that action, too). They (the LCB) are pimps, whores, and drug dealers. Just officially licensed.
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