Now that Ol’ Parks has refused the call of his fellow Mecklenburg County ABC board members to resign, it is time for the Mecklenburg County Commission to act.
But wait, what’s this? The state ABC commission is talking to the county commission about what to do with Ol’ Parks? Do tell.
We told you this would happen. Helms would run to the state commission for cover and try to use the Raleigh bureaucrats’ own self-interest as a shield. Ol’ Parks is probably telling them that his removal would be a victory for the forces of liquor privatization and the enemies of Bev Perdue. As a result I would not be surprised to find out that the state is telling the county that the county needs “cause” to pro-actively remove Helms from the ABC slot and that cause can only come from the state.
As ever, the solution to such backdoor shenanigans is to draw them into the harsh light of day and beat them with a stick. First step would be a county commission vote to remove Helms, forcing the state to pick a side.
In public.
