of Liquor License Commissioners yesterday of engaging in political collusion
and corruption to protect some bar owners on The Block from sanctions.
In his complaint filed in Baltimore Circuit Court yesterday, Samuel T.
Daniels Jr. contends that liquor board members Claudia L. Brown, John A. Green
Sr., Nathan C. Irby Jr. and Jane M. Schroeder conspired to “act in accordance
with inappropriate political motives in choosing which establishments should
be investigated and which ones should not be investigated.”
The board suspended Daniels last month, which he says was in response to
his effort to investigate bars on The Block. Except for Irby, board members
either declined to comment or did not return phone calls yesterday.
Daniels, 57, who has worked as an inspector for 18 years, six of them as
chief, also accused the four board members of working with Sen. Joan Carter
Conway, a Baltimore Democrat, to replace him with Conway’s husband, assistant
chief liquor license inspector Vernon “Tim” Conway. Conway is filling in for
Daniels during his 30-day suspension.
In his complaint, Daniels alleges a quid pro quo relationship between
Senator Conway and at least two bars on The Block, a strip of
adult-entertainment establishments downtown. Daniels said that soon after he
reported violations at a bar called Norma Jean’s on Oct. 15, Senator Conway
received campaign contributions from the bar’s owner.
“I cannot abide by anyone hoodwinking the citizens of Baltimore,” Daniels
said. “I won’t let anyone hijack the law and the good name my father left to
me.”
Senator Conway dismissed Daniels’ allegations yesterday, saying he is
simply bitter that he was suspended. She called allegations that she was
trying to win her husband a promotion by disgracing Daniels “grand illusions.”
“My issue is that people actually need to be disciplined when they don’t
abide by the rules and regulations,” Conway said, adding that there had “been
some issues with [Daniels] conforming to liquor board policy.”
A March 17 memo from Irby, who serves as the board’s executive secretary,
states that Daniels was suspended for insubordination. According to the memo,
Daniels violated liquor board rules by investigating illegal gambling events
at several bars on New Year’s Eve without proper authorization. Irby also
reprimanded Daniels for discussing the raids with a City Paper reporter
without prior approval from the board’s spokesman.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Irby declined to discuss Daniels’
suspension or the allegations of corruption.
“You are going into an area that I don’t feel comfortable talking about,”
he said.
Neither the board’s chairman, Mark Fosler, nor the board’s spokesman,
Douglas Paige, responded to phone messages yesterday.
City Solicitor Ralph S. Tyler said he is unsure why the city is named in
the complaint, because the liquor board is a state agency. Board members are
appointed by the governor every two years. Still, Tyler said the city would
investigate and “respond in court.”
Daniels said his troubles with the liquor board started when he and another
inspector reported inappropriate touching between a male customer and a female
dancer at Norma Jean’s on Oct. 15.
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Six days later, Conway received a sizable contribution from PP&G Inc., a
company that shares the same address as Norma Jean’s. State elections records
show the company contributed $1,500 to Conway’s campaign account on Oct. 21.
Daniels said the owner of the bar, Peter Ireland Sr., filed a complaint
against him and another liquor board inspector in which the bar owner alleged
harassment of a female employee by the other inspector. The bar owner also
alleged in his complaint that Daniels yelled at him in an attempt to protect
his subordinate.
Daniels said that he was on vacation when the alleged yelling took place.
“I wasn’t even at work,” he said.
Ireland, who also owns a bar called Tiffany’s, doesn’t dispute that he
complained about Daniels and the other inspector, whose name could not be
confirmed yesterday. The bar owner said he stands by his account of events.
“Daniels is protecting that guy,” Ireland said. “[They] don’t deserve the
badge.”
Ireland said he gives lots of money to politicians — in addition to
Conway, he has donated to such officials as Mayor Martin O’Malley and state
Sens. Lisa A. Gladden and Nathaniel J. McFadden — and that it has nothing to
do with favors.
“I gave $3,000 to O’Malley,” Ireland said. “You think he’s doing anything
for me?”
Ireland said Daniels approached him about two years ago and asked him to
say bad things about the Conways.
“He wanted me to say Tim Conway came to me to get money for his wife,”
Ireland said. “Daniels said he could make a lot of things go away if I did
what he wanted, but I was not willing to do that.”
Daniels said he asked Ireland if any inspectors had been in the bar trying
to sell campaign fund-raising tickets — a violation of state law. Daniels
denied making any promises to help Ireland if the bar owner talked to him.
“Those two don’t see eye to eye,” Ireland said, referring to Daniels and
Tim Conway. “But it is not for me to clean up their [mess].”
Not long after Ireland complained about Daniels, Irby ordered Daniels in a
March 4 memo to “stay off the area known as the `block'” and have “no contact
of any kind with any licensees of establishments located there.”
Daniels said the memo caught him by surprise, especially because 54 percent
of the city’s adult entertainment licenses are on The Block.
“I technically couldn’t even go to assist my people,” Daniels said. “I
don’t target anyone. There might be someone I don’t like, but to have this
order seems extraordinary.”
The initial report against Norma Jean’s has yet to be heard, Daniels said.
“It seems as though the honest execution of my job has tripped over what
may be some arrangements,” Daniels said.
Fosler, the liquor board chairman, tried to intervene when Daniels was
suspended March 21. In a letter to Irby dated that day, Fosler said he wanted
to hold off on the suspension until the board had a chance to discuss the
matter with the city law department.
“It is clear that the rules of the Civil Service Commission and just common
decency have not been followed regarding the proposed suspension of Chief
Inspector Daniels,” Fosler wrote.
He also pointed out that only the chairman has the ability to suspend an
inspector and that the suspension order by board members Green and Brown
violated that rule.
But Irby wrote a March 22 memo upholding the suspensions anyway. “During
your 30-day suspension, please do not attempt to enter this building at
anytime,” Irby said. “If you do, both building security and supervisory
personnel have been advised to call the Baltimore City Police Department.”
Sun staff writers William Wan and Andrew A. Green contributed to this
article.