News and Media
Best Politician, Getting the Job Done
Nathaniel McFadden
Published: September 21, 2011
Of all the things the Maryland General Assembly could do to help Baltimore City thrive and prosper, the most stimulating is, of course, increasing opportunities for its people to . . . buy booze. And that’s just what state Sen. Nathaniel J. McFadden (D-45th District) did this past legislative session. It’s not the only job he got done this year—he also helped ease the city school board’s burdens by relieving its annual-report requirement and extending the life of its bonds (so it can pay less interest each year, but more over the life of the loans); secured state funding for pet projects around the city; and, as vice chair of the Senate’s Budget Committee, played a key role in the state’s budget process—but it was his only sole-sponsored bill that became law. It accomplished important things for the city’s booze-hounds. First off, in McFadden’s East Baltimore district, it lifts a ban on new liquor licenses, opening the door to more places to score beer, wine, and liquor. Second, it doubles from two to four the number of Sundays city liquor stores may be open between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. And finally, also citywide, it doubles from two to four the number of Sundays that bars without Sunday licenses may stay open each year. That hard-to-get-booze-on-Sunday problem that hampers the drinking lives of so many Baltimoreans now has been partially addressed, so raise a glass to the good senator for a job well done.
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