New Licensing Board Should Benefit Neighborhood

Three new members to the City of Boston’s Licensing Board have been appointed by Mayor Martin J. Walsh.

The Licensing Board regulates alcohol, food, hotels/inns, lodging houses, fraternities/dormitories, billiards/pool tables/sippio, bowling alleys and fortune teller licenses.

The newly-constituted Licensing Board is one of a series of efforts that the Walsh Administration has made to streamline and improve operations across the city government to ensure that business owners and entrepreneurs are able to successfully start and grow business in the city.

In the past, North End residents and community groups were not pleased with the state appointed Board. They felt was not in tune with community issues related to request that directly impacted their community.

It appears that the Mayor’s new Board and the other improvements taken into consideration the concerns of the neighborhood by offering much more access to the process with more online service, doubling the hearing capacity through extended hearing hours.

            The members of the Board will begin a six-year term, effective December 31. Hopefully there will be better results and communications with the neighborhood. Only time will tell.