Politics & Government

Governor Wants Conti Out

Corbett wants to eliminate the CEO position of the state liquor control board, held by a former Doylestown politician.

Tom Corbett wants Joe Conti out of his job.

That's the latest out of Harrisburg, according to John Micek, who covers the state capitol for The Morning Call newspaper.

Corbett said on Tuesday that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board doesn't need a six-figure CEO.

Find out what's happening in Doylestownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Now, the state's Republican governor says it's time for Conti to go. He hopes to bring the issue to another vote by the agency's board of directors so he can eliminate the position, he told reporters.

Read all about it - and how it's affecting legislative proposals to privatize the state's liquor control system - in The Morning Call.

Find out what's happening in Doylestownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Corbett's comments come on the heels of a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer that Conti and two other liquor control board officials accepted gifts and favors from businesses in the liquor industry.

Based on a leaked confidential report from the Inspector General's office, the Inquirer story says Conti "lobbied a vendor and pressed others inside and outside the agency - including Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr - for jobs for his brother and daughter." Click here to read the full story in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Conti, a Republican, represented Doylestown in the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1997 to 2006.

He started his political career as a Doylestown Township Supervisor in 1984. He was elected to the Pennsylvania House in 1993, and then to the Senate four years later.

When Bucks County Congressman Jim Greenwood decided in 2004 not to run again for office, the popular moderate Republican and other supporters threw their weight behind Conti. But in the end, the Bucks County Republicans chose the more conservative Mike Fitzpatrick.

In 2006, Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell appointed Conti to the newly created position of CEO of the Liquor Control, where he makes about $156,000 each year.


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