High and dry in Boston?

High and dry in Boston? - The Boston Globe
This Globe editorial calls on the State Legislature to lift the cap on Boston's liquor licenses, which currently stands at 320 beer-and-wine licenses and 650 all-alcohol liquor licenses. I agree in theory that "the question of how many restaurants shouldsell liquor should be purely a matter of local concern" and "the Legislature shouldn't be involved in local liquor licensing at all. Boston should be able to issue as many licenses as city leaders -- and the voters who elect them -- see fit." But before supporting lifting this cap, I think Allston and Brighton residents, whose quality of life is perpetually threatened by an overabundance of establishments serving alcohol, we should ask the City how new licenses will be distributed. Will they go to anyone who wants one or to anyone who hires the "right" lawyer? How will the licensing board take into account the impact on the people who try to live here?