A Nuisance To Opponent

from reporters, refusing to respond to Duncan's allegations.

Not so with Duncan, a long-shot to unseat the 10-year veteran of the 197th House district, which takes in a portion of North Philadelphia.

Duncan said Carn's contributors are the very businesses that should be shut down. "Many of them don't have restrooms or enough seating. Some don't have any licenses," Duncan said. "Carn is supposed to be leading the fight and all he's doing is collecting money."

Both men do agree that the 197th is overflowing with liquor licenses. In his testimony, Carn noted that a state "quota" law limits licenses to one per 3,000 residents, but Philadelphia has a 1 to 700 ratio and his district has 1 per 450 residents.

"It's a travesty," Carn told the Council committee. "There are too many liquor licenses in Philadelphia."

Carn, who heads a House task force attempting to rewrite the state liquor laws to be more responsive to community needs, said he is studying a proposal to create a municipal clearance certificate that would be required of licensees before they could get a state license.