Board hits wine bill brochures

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission yesterday demanded that the agency’s name be pulled from advertising brochures mailed out by a liquor industry group opposing a ballot question that would allow more food stores to sell wine.

The agency's name has been used in several of the brochures in a way that indicated the agency opposes the ballot measure, called Question 1. The agency’s top two officials have come out against Question 1, but the agency itself yesterday tried to retain some semblance of neutrality on the issue.

"The Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission has not authorized the use of the agency's name in support or in opposition to Question 1. Any such representation is false and misleading," wrote Grace H. Lee, general counsel and deputy state treasurer, in a letter to the liquor industry group mailing out the brochures. State Treasurer Timothy Cahill oversees the ABCC.

One brochure carries the notation: "ABCC warns of ‘Kids Selling Alcohol to Kids,'." and then quotes from a statement issued last month by Ted Mahony, the agency’s chief investigator.

Justine Griffin, a spokeswoman for the Vote No group, said it would comply with the request immediately, although thousands of the brochures already have gone out. Griffin said officials at the Vote No group failed to distinguish between the top two officials at the ABCC opposing the ballot question and the agency itself.

Alison Mitchell, a spokeswoman for Cahill, declined to comment on whether the liquor industry group was intentionally trying to mislead voters.

Mitchell also expressed no regret about ABCC officials and Cahill previously saying they opposed the ballot question, primarily for public safety reasons. ‘‘The individuals expressed their personal positions, but the agency did not and will not take a position,’’ she said.

The supermarket group pushing for the ballot question said using the ABCC name was part of a liquor industry campaign characterized by inaccurate statements about what the ballot question would do.

"It's high time someone in authority condemned the No on 1 Committee for their deliberately misleading ads and rhetoric," said Kim Hinden, a spokeswoman for the Yes on 1 Committee.

Bruce Mohl can be reached at mohl@globe.com.