A task force created after allegations of wrongdoing by the Baltimore liquor board has recommended widespread changes in the agency's practices, including restrictions on potential conflicts of interest by employees.
The 11-member panel did not suggest scrapping the patronage system under which inspectors to the Baltimore Board of Liquor License Commissioners, a state agency, are appointed by the city's state senators.
But state law should be changed to spell out that inspectors be forbidden to solicit or receive political contributions, the task force said. Also, the liquor board should adopt Maryland's public ethics law, which requires disclosure of business interests by employees and the members of their immediate families, according to a report by the task force issued last week.
And removal of inspectors after their first year of employment should be permitted only "for cause," the report said.
"We felt these steps would take care of the problems" of potential conflicts, task force Chairman Peter D. Ward said yesterday.
State Sen. John A. Pica Jr., chairman of the city's Senate delegation, said he fully supported the task force's recommendations, and he said he would sponsor legislation in the 1995 General Assembly to see that they were put into effect.
"I think it's a sweeping report. I think it will strengthen the public's confidence in the board," he said.
Mr. Pica created the task force in May after an article in The Sun detailed conflicts of interest at the liquor board, which is responsible for licensing and regulating 1,650 bars, restaurants and package goods stores in the city.
The article detailed how the board's three commissioners and 33 full- and part-time inspectors were selected by state senators without regard to their qualifications. They then regulated businesses that contributed to the senators' campaigns and some even solicited and accepted campaign contributions on behalf of their patrons, including Mr. Pica, the story said.
Baltimore's liquor board, which has been under investigation by a city grand jury, is being scrutinized by the Maryland attorney general after claims that inspectors took bribes from bar owners on The Block. The claims were contained in a state police search warrant affidavit drafted for January's raid on The Block.
In addition to making its recommendations on conflicts of interest, the task force suggested a number of reforms to correct what it termed "deficiencies" in the liquor board's operation. They include requirements that inspectors have at least a high school diploma, work a set number of hours and receive periodic performance evaluations.
The task force said the liquor board -- which has the power to levy fines, suspend licenses and close establishments -- was inconsistent in enforcing state and city laws and in responding to community complaints about noise and overcrowding in bars late at night and on weekends. It recommended that the board set penalty guidelines for violations and coordinate its enforcement efforts on noise and crowd control with the city police and health departments.
It also called for the board to submit an annual report to the governor on its operation.
The task force acknowledged that its recommendations went beyond the examination of the question of patronage and conflicts of interest but said, "We believe that these findings accurately reflect legitimate public concerns about the liquor board's operations."
Aaron L. Stansbury, executive secretary of the liquor board, said the board has already begun to adopt one of the task force's recommendations, the creation of a training manual for inspectors, and said other changes would be welcome.
"Conflict-of-interest policies should be spelled out so they're very clear," he said.
Under current law, liquor inspectors are prohibited from accepting gifts for themselves from bars and restaurants but the law does not specifically say they may not take political contributions on behalf of others.
Beverly Thomas, chairwoman of the City-Wide Liquor Coalition and a member of the task force, said the panel found that liquor board managers were "very loose in terms of their operation." Communities would benefit from tighter control over inspectors, she said.
"If the processes are put in place, it will give us a better shot for quality in how these businesses are regulated," said Ms. Thomas.
Outgoing state Sen. Julian L. "Jack" Lapides also praised the report. "It's certainly making a step in the right direction," said Mr. Lapides, who did not seek re-election this year and is running for city comptroller next year.
"The de-politicization of the board is certainly commendable," added Mr. Lapides, longtime co-chair of the General Assembly's joint ethics committee.
LIQUOR STUDY RECOMMENDATIONS
Here are some of the key recommendations in the report of the Baltimore City Liquor Board Task Force:
* Amend state law to specifically prohibit liquor board commissioners or employees from soliciting or receiving campaign contributions.
* Have the liquor board adopt the Maryland public ethics law.
* Establish a training manual and a work schedule for inspectors, specifying how many hours per week they are expected to work.
* Require periodic performance evaluations of inspectors, and an annual report by the agency.
* Establish and publish penalty guidelines for all violations.