Dan Gilman, a candidate for Pittsburgh City Council District 8, is showing some financial muscle in his bid for the Democratic nomination to succeed his boss, Bill Peduto, in the East End seat.
        His campaign said his annual campaign finance report will show that he raised $57,031 from the time he opened his campaign committee in October through the end of the 2012 reporting period.  The campaign said  he had raised an additional $28,000 this year for a total of more than $85,000.
        Mr. Gilman, a longtime council aide, is competing for the seat against Sam Hens-Greco and Jean Clarke.  Mr. Hens-Greco said his fund-raising was just getting underway and that his year-end report would show that he had raised only a few thousand dollars so far.  Ms. Clark said he had not formed a fund-rising committee until 2013, and thus would not be required to file a contribution report by the Thursday deadline.

Gov. Tom Corbett announced plans today to privatize liquor sales in the state -- allowing supermarkets and other outlets to sell beer and wine -- which he said would generate $1 billion to fund public education.

Under the proposal private sellers could buy licences to sell alcohol products, with the state using the proceeds to pay for school safety, early learning, individualized learning, and science and technology programs.

Grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies, large retailers and beer distributors can file an application to sell beer and wine. Some beer distributors will be able to become "one-stop shops" where they can by spirits along with beer and wine, as consumers do in other states.

The governor's office will introduce the package in the state House, where Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-Bradford Woods, said there is "a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm" for the changes. Senate leaders have been skeptical of full-scale changes however.

Pennsylvania's current alcohol laws are among the strictest in the nation, with only state-owned stores allowed to sell wine and spirits, taverns and restaurants selling six-packs of beer, and distributors selling beer by the case. Only Utah is stricter, and the governor said the laws stamp Pennsylvania as being old-fashioned and out of step with most other states in the nation.

"You people in Pennsylvania do not deserve to be treated like that in the 21st century," Mr. Corbett said.

Graphic: Governor's office

News release after the jump:

State Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park, went on the Senate floor today to blast Gov. Tom Corbett's liquor privatization plans, saying they will hurt middle class (ie, union) jobs; lead to alcohol proliferation; hurt existing licensees like bars; and affect the state's bottom line.

"So what's the alternative? The alternative is to follow the path that my esteemed colleague on the other side of the aisle, the President Pro Tem, has publicly embraced. Let's use the asset and the system that we have today, which has provided good jobs, protected the public health, and helped us fund state programs for decades and continue to improve upon it. We have seen enormous enhancement in the Wine and Spirits Stores in the past 15 years and I believe that we have options on the table to offer an even better product to consumers, while continuing its core mission, and not sacrifice consistent funding and family-sustaining jobs."

Full text of his remarks below:

Gov. Tom Corbett's time machine may not get out of the garage.

Gov. Tom Corbett is set to lay out his liquor privatization plan -- which he says could generate $1 billion in revenues for the state -- at an early afternoon Pittsburgh press conference today, arguing the state needs to modernize.

Fellow Republican leaders in the legislature are signaling they're not ready to fully jump on board.

From Laura Olson and Karen Langley in Harrisburg:

[Senate President Pro Tem Joe] Scarnati reiterated his support for pursuing plans to "modernize" those sales either before or alongside efforts to move alcohol sales into private hands. [House Majority Leader Sam] Smith said an approach in which some but not all aspects of liquor sales are privatized may gain more legislative support.

"In looking at what happened over the last two years in particular in the House and Senate" regarding failed liquor privatization efforts, "it seems to me logically that where we might end up is with a hybrid where we're providing private opportunities but not exactly abolishing the system," Mr. Smith said.

The AP's Marc Levy has a sneak peek at the governor's plans and union reaction:

According to information from people briefed by the governor's office, the plan involves shutting down the more than 600 state-owned wine and liquor stores as a prelude to auctioning 1,200 wine and liquor store licenses. The information was provided by people on condition of anonymity because they did not want to be named providing details before the governor announces them.

Owners of supermarkets, drugstores, restaurants and big-box stores would be able to buy separate licenses to sell beer and wine. Convenience store owners would be eligible to sell beer while the state's approximately 1,200 licensed beer distributorships would be able to bid for licenses to sell wine and liquor.

Harley said a bill reflecting Corbett's plan will be introduced in the near future.

Wendell W. Young IV, the president of the union that represents about 3,000 unionized state store clerks, said Tuesday that privatization of wine and liquor sales would diminish consumer choice and state tax revenue while raising liquor consumption rates and the crime and health problems that follow.

"Why would we want to be like the 48 other states when we're already so much better than them?" Young questioned.