Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Politicians - Right in broad daylight
Cronyism. It can't be any more conspicuous than this.
Can it?...
Can it?...
Mario F. Cattabiani reports for the Philadelphia Inquirer:
"HARRISBURG - Out of a job for only two weeks, former State Sen. Joe Conti today will be named chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, a newly created $150,000-a-year post with the nation's largest buyer of wine and spirits.
The Rendell administration pushed the appointment of the Bucks County Republican, calling him perfect for the job. Yet the news was immediately met with outrage by the LCB chairman.
'This is not transparency in public government,' said Jonathan Newman, adding that he learned of Conti's hiring when Rendell's office gave him a job description for the new position at 3 p.m. yesterday.
'I'm very disappointed and very concerned that this is what government comes down to.'
Conti, who served for 12 years in the House and Senate before retiring at the end of November, will make more than twice the chairman's $65,572 salary and be in charge of day-to-day operations of the agency, which operates 643 state liquor stores.
If a chief executive officer was needed, Newman said, there should have been a nationwide search."
