NEW YORK - The Erie County Legislature voted unanimously, Friday, to adopt a resolution urging the New York State Senate and New York State Assembly to reject Governor Paterson’s plan to legalize the sale of wine in grocery stores, gas stations, delis, bodegas and anywhere beer is now sold.

If implemented, this change would force more than 1,000 stores to close and cost the state more than 4,500 valuable jobs. Additionally, the sale of wine in every store where beer is now available would give teenagers greater access to alcohol – resulting in a heightened risk of underage drinking and fatal drunk driving accidents.

In its resolution against the plan, the Erie County Legislature says the proposal will have detrimental impacts for the state including unemployment, lost income tax and emptied retail space.

According to an economic impact study completed for the industry prior to the collapse of the state’s economy, nearly 40 percent of the wine stores in the state would be forced out of business if the sale of wine were legalized in every deli, corner store, gas station, bodega and grocery store in New York. As a result, more than 4,500 people would be forced out of work in the worst economy the state has experienced in generations.

“We applaud the Erie County Legislature for once again rejecting the Governor’s plan which would only put more people in our state’s unemployment lines and increase the availability of alcohol to teenagers,” said Jeff Saunders, founder of the Last Store on Main Street coalition and president of the Retailers Alliance. “We are confident that the State Legislature will reject this misguided proposal as they did last year, saving thousands of jobs of hardworking New Yorkers and protecting our state’s teenagers.”