Silence and secrecy surrounded the decision by Benjamin A. Neil, the new Liquor Board chairman, to end a North Baltimore bar’s closure ordered by the former Liquor Board.

The board met in regular session this afternoon at City Hall, but it did not issue a statement about the controversial decision to end the suspension of Stadium Lounge for illegal gambling.

Neil refused to discuss the matter with The Brew at the end of today’s hearing.

At a press conference, Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke, who represents the Waverly neighborhood where the lounge is located, said she was infuriated by the clandestine circumstances under which the closure was terminated last Friday.

Local residents found out about the reduced penalty only after the tavern, at 3353 Greenmount Avenue, had reopened.

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OPINION: As new Liquor Board takes over, a watchdog blogger worries (7/28/15)

ANALYSIS: Booze News blogger says board’s action “may have been an illegal one.” (7/30/15)
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“I had to call the Liquor Board and ask about it,” Clarke said. “There was no notice to the community, no public hearing and no meeting of board.”

“Last Friday, Neil met with himself,” she noted dryly, adding, “For this chairman to come in on his third week [in office] and unilaterally decide on shortening the most important part of the penalty. . . is an outrage.”

Took Pinderhughes’ Advice

Neil did not address activists from Waverly, Charles Village, Loyola University, Oakenshaw and Abell who attended today’s press conference outside the Liquor Board hearing room.

Clarke said she had spoken with Neil a few minutes earlier. He told her that Alice G. Pinderhughes, a contract lawyer who represents the board in Circuit Court, recommended that the closure be shortened.

“He said he took her advice and signed the paper,” Clarke said. “And he said I should talk with her about it. That was pretty well the end of our conversation.”

Upset Community Groups

Patricia Taylor, president of the Waverly Improvement Association, said she was dismayed when she discovered Stadium Lounge had reopened so soon.

“The neighborhood was not notified at all. The community is looking at me, like, why did this happen?” she said. “It was disheartening.”

Sonja Merchant-Jones, co-president of the Better Waverly Community Association, said Neil’s decision shows a disrespect for the process.

“We all follow process. It’s disrespectful to make a decision and not consult us as if our opinion and feelings about our community don’t matter,” she said. “That’s what I’m upset about.”

Sandy Sparks, president of the Charles Village Civic Association, put it another way: “The process has been preempted.”

A Bad Precedent

The activists said Neil’s choice sets a precedent they are not comfortable with.

“This is not just an issue for [this] district,” noted Stan Wilson of Homeland. “It represents a potential change in how decisions are made and can be undone.”

Clarke agreed that the decision could have a major impact around the city. “It’s not just us in the Stadium Lounge area. It’s everyone who won a [decision] for the community and had it appealed in the Circuit Court,” she said.

Discussing the decision, Karen Stokes, executive director of Strong City Baltimore (formerly the Greater Homewood Community Corp.), said the new Liquor Board commissioners need to understand the needs of communities impacted by liquor issues.

“As we’re trying to keep people in the city, we need good businesses that behave the way good businesses ought to. We love having walkable businesses, urban amenities. We are not anti-business,” she said.

“But we can’t have liquor establishments not understand their role in an urban environment. It’s essential to the quality of urban life.”

Before the new board makes any more decisions like this, Stokes said that they need to get out of the office and see the communities affected by their decision first hand.

“If this is the first signal of how the new board is going to behave, we’re concerned,” she added.