Over last weekend, Bill Turque of the Post had a very good writeup of some of the basic questions surrounding the alcohol privatization issues currently being considered by the county’s legislative delegation. I missed it - if you did too, here you go. A snippet to whet your appetite:
Montgomery’s monopoly in the alcohol business — as the county’s exclusive wholesaler of beer and wine and retailer of hard liquor — is under fire.
Two bills due to be considered by state lawmakers early next year would bring big changes to a system that has been in place, in one form or another, since Prohibition ended in 1933.
One measure, sponsored by Del. C. William Frick (D-Montgomery), would ask voters to place a question on the 2016 ballot asking voters whether restaurants, bars and stores can bypass the county’s Department of Liquor Control and purchase directly from private distributors.
The other, more limited proposal, backed by the County Council, would allow businesses to buy “special order” products — fine wines and craft beers — privately. Proponents of both bills say the DLC is not a reliable supplier of special-order items, making deliveries that are sometimes late or incomplete.