HARRISBURG – Gov. Edward G. Rendell today appointed Patrick J. “PJ” Stapleton III as chairman of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Stapleton will succeed Jonathan Newman, who resigned as chairman effective Jan. 12.
“The PLCB has made enormous strides over these last four years and much of that success is a result of the hard work and leadership of board members Stapleton, Newman and Tom Goldsmith,” said Rendell. “PJ, Jonathan and Tom took my vision and implemented it with great enthusiasm.”
Stapleton is a practicing attorney from Indiana County who was first appointed to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board by Gov. Tom Ridge on June 17, 1997. He was reconfirmed by a unanimous vote of the state Senate on May 10, 2000, and again on May 17, 2004.
“When I was elected, I asked the PLCB board members to work together to make wine and spirits stores more customer friendly and to help me implement necessary modernizations like Sunday liquor sales,” said Rendell. “As a result of their hard work, Pennsylvanians can now take part in an entirely new buying experience in our wine and spirits shops.
“PJ has played a critical role in helping modernize the LCB, and I am asking him to now continue to lead the agency as chairman, with a focus on planning for fiscal stability in the future,” said Governor Rendell.
The Governor thanked Newman for his outstanding work in creating the Chairman’s Select program and other specialty wine initiatives, and for his efforts to improve choice and customer service throughout the organization.
“Jonathan’s efforts have helped establish Pennsylvania as a world-class purveyor of specialty wines. He has done a tremendous job of implementing the reforms that I believed were necessary to improve the PLCB system, to increase revenue, and make our stores more customer friendly,” said the Governor. “His service as chairman of the Liquor Control Board is greatly appreciated.”