Political Notebook

by Mary F. Patel

The three contenders vying for the state House of Representatives’ 182nd District seat made an appearance last week at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel for a forum sponsored by the Rittenhouse Row consortium of shops and restaurants.

Incumbent state Rep. Babette Josephs, her Democratic opponent Andrew Hohns and Republican candidate Jonathan Goldstein made brief remarks about their platforms.

Among the more weighty issues brewing in the House is the privatization of state liquor stores.

“Every time there are budget hearings, the subject comes up,” said Josephs, who has been a House member since 1985.

With the state facing a major deficit in revenues since last summer, selling off the liquor stores would bring in a big cash flow.

Josephs is against privatization and said that Republicans want a quick fix for the deficit.

And what caused the deficit?

One issue she names is “not collecting taxes from the dot-com industries, who do not fall under the current tax code, which only taxes industrial businesses. It would be dishonest to just plug up the hole by selling off liquor stores. It would be a disaster.”

She said she feared that private liquor stores would be profit-driven and would sell to minors.

“I believe we are the only major city with a thriving downtown entertainment area that is also a neighborhood,” she said. “I do think we should make state stores more modern by adding high-end wines, selling pretzels and bar accessories,” she added.

Hohns and Goldstein support privatization.

“It would contribute to the vibrancy of the city,” said Hohns. “We could get the finest wines at competitive prices. And why should citizens violate the law by having to drive to New Jersey?”

New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland have long been destinations to buy wine and liquor for many Pennsylvanians because of the greater variety and big discounts. They do this at risk, however, because it is illegal.

For monitoring minors, Hohns suggested a magnetic strip on licenses that would determine if someone were trying to use fake identification.

“There is a way to privatize without it being harmful,” said Goldstein, who last ran in 1998 against Josephs as a Libertarian. “The extra revenue from sales and taxes could be used for more law enforcement for underage drinking, such as undercover police in the stores.”

The state also regulates the control of liquor licenses, and a hot potato is the outdoor cafes in the district, which encompasses such neighborhoods as Bella Vista and Rittenhouse Square.

One of the biggest trouble spots has been the cafes on the 200 block of South 18th Street, specifically Rouge -- where the sidewalk’s flanking rows of outdoor seating have caused neighborhood groups to complain of difficulty in getting past diners.

“There needs to be a balance,” said Goldstein. He adds that Rouge owner Neil Stein “has a license for one row of outdoor seating and yet he has two. I would also like to expand my business and put desks and chairs out on the sidewalk.”

Hohns suggested expanding the sidewalk outside Rouge to accommodate the excess tables.

Like Goldstein, Josephs suggested a balance and said that she would act if any civic group called her and complained about Rouge or any other outdoor cafe.

“But so far, no one has,” she said.

Josephs, meanwhile, has fired her chief of staff, Scott Blacker, because she said he was doing his own campaigning during office hours at her legislative office.

Blacker had launched an aggressive campaign earlier this year against Republican state Rep. Gene DiGirolamo.

“Scott was doing too much of his own work, and I told him it was inconvenient and illegal and he was not willing to stop, so he left,” said Josephs. “I am not sure if I will support him in his election because he put my office in some jeopardy by illegal operations,” she said.

Blacker, who had worked for Josephs since 1999, said that Josephs’ deserves a committed staff.

“Babette is like a second mother to me,” said Blacker. He confirmed that he left but did not give specific details other than that he wanted to be closer to the district he is running in and that working in Center City was becoming a hindrance to the campaign. DiGirolamo represents the 18th District in Bensalem.

Strut!, the hot new documentary film about the inside story of the Mummers, will be the opening film for the Philadelphia Film Society’s weeklong annual Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema.

Strut! was the concept of Max Raab, a former fashion magnate, and freelance photographer Seymour Mednick. Both are longtime friends. Raab owned J.G. Hook and has since gotten out of the garment business and has his own production company.

Strut! premieres to the public April 4 at the Prince Theater and kicks off the festival with international movies and lots of after-parties at various venues. For more information on the festival, access its website at www.phillyfests.com.