Wednesday, January 3, 2007

Liquor Chief Newman to step down...

10 a.m., Jan. 3

What do booze and the battle for the gavel have in common?

I can't think of anything immediately either. But I just learned of this news nugget, so I will share.

Jonathan H. Newman will step down from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board this morning after seven years at the agency, the last 4 1/2 as its chairman.

His decision comes after a very public flap with Gov. Rendell over the governor's push last month to appoint former state Sen. Joe Conti (R., Bucks) as CEO of the liquor board to run its day-to-day operations.

Newman had criticized Rendell for creating the new $150,000-a-year post, approved by the two other liquor board members, without a nationwide search.

The move, Newman said today, violated "transparency and good government."

He plans to make the announcement when the board meets this morning at 10. His last day on the job is Jan. 12.

There's no word on what Newman, the son of outgoing Supreme Court Justice Sandra Schultz Newman, plans for the future.

More on this in tomorrow's paper.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Newman is just another political crybaby. Live by the sword, die by the sword. He was a political appointee with no "Nationwide Search" when he got his job because of his Mommy's connections.