North Michigan News

Rep. Ken Borton has strongly criticized the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) following revelations of mismanagement within the organization. According to the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), over 62,000 state-owned bottles of liquor worth nearly $1 million are missing from the MLCC's inventory.

Borton, expressing his dismay, stated, “In a time where families are making every dollar count because of the devastating impact of inflation, it is completely inexcusable that any state department can just lose a $1 million worth of inventory. This is another overwhelming example of government failures at the highest level. A million dollars is a lifechanging amount of money in Northern Michigan, yet the MLCC viewed it as so unimportant they couldn’t even be bothered to report their losses to the public.”

The OAG's investigation also uncovered extensive accounting failures within the MLCC. It was found that the commission failed to maintain proper sale and purchase records, with $1.1 billion in spirit orders not being filed in the state’s online ordering system between February 2021 and August 2022. Additionally, the MLCC issued liquor licenses to three prohibited organizations, resulting in sales totaling $272,139 from Jan. 1, 2018, to Aug. 5, 2022.

The MLCC, which is comprised of five unelected governor appointees, manages spirit products through authorized distribution agents and state-owned warehouses. The commission's inability to provide information regarding the missing liquor inventory has led to refunds being issued to vendors.

Rep. Borton is now calling for significant reforms within the MLCC to address these issues and prevent similar mismanagement in the future.