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Casino Groups Stage Final Campaign in Anne Arundel County

Posted on November 1st, 2010

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The outcome of the casino referendum in Anne Arundel County, Maryland is probably one of the most aniticipated. Dubbed the biggest and most lucrative casino to be built in the state, the fate of the casino proposal in Anne Arundel County will be resting in the hands of Maryland voters. As of the moment, it is still a hotly contested race, with both for and against the proposal arguing their position. Those for the casino are set in their belief that the industry is the remaining salvation of the community while thos against it believe that the casino will ultimately destroy their county. This development progresses as more money has been poured into the campaign in the hopes of convincing local voters. Curret funding is definitely bigger compared to the same campaign that was put up two years ago, in the statewide plan to legalize slot machines.

The question for this referendum is actually about zoning, as that 2008 election was a victory for slot machines. However, the decision whether to overturn or uphold the county zoning law will have direct implications to the planned casino. The question for this referendum has turned out to be more complicated, as the original plan of the casino was for it to be placed near a shopping center. Moreover, the issue has been blurred with the advertisements that each camp has been releasing, as they both point out the other camp’s ads as misleading. Both camps have been declaring victories, although non-partisan polls have been pointing out that the race is in a dead heat. Each side has so far spent more than $8 million in various media such as roadside signs, mailboxes and airtime. Before last week ended, both sides gave press conferences in attempts to sway those who are still undecided. Both camps also promised that they will keep on fighting until the closing of the polls.

David Jones, the president of No Slots at the Mall, an anti-casino group, had proclaimed, “It’s full-on, full-throttle, knocking on doors, sending out advertisements, robo calls, television, media advertisements, all the way,” Jones is also a resident of Hanover, an area in the vicinity of Arundel Mills Mall, which is the proposed casino site. On the other hand, David Cordish, president of The Cordish Cos., a casino developer, has made plans to ride on a fire truck to take him from one precinct to the next on Election Day to personally convince voters to support his gambling and entertainment complex to stand adjacent to the mall. The complex is said to measure 200,000 square feet.

According to estimates, the casino should be generating $400 million every year for the state treasury. Other recipients will be Anne Arundel County which is said to receive at least $30 million, and the horse racing industry, which will also receive millions. Cordish, has named his campaign Jobs & Revenue for Anne Arundel County and promises that the complex will provide 4,000 employment opportunities to the area and fill the hole in the budget of the county. Cordish said, “You really don’t want to look at next year’s budget and the future years’ budget without some immediate casino revenue. If you want to keep your taxes in check, possibly lower your taxes, you need to vote for Question A.”

Firefighter, police officer and teacher unions have thrown their support to the pro-casino side. Another supporter of Cordish’s campaign is County Executive John R. Leopold. Leopold has said that Question A will be the only hope for seeing slot machines in the county. He explained, “I’m the only elected official for all 540,000 county citizens. While I’m sympathetic to the concerns of the residents (near the casino), I have broader obligations to the rest of the county.”
Meanwhile, Jones does not believe in this now-or-never argument of the side of the pro-slots. He goes further by saying that Question A is about making the best choice for the county in the long run. He and fellow anti-casino residents claim that the casino will only cause problems like traffic and crime to the area, which will disrupt their neighborhoods. He explained, “It’s about location, location, location. The people need to make this final decision on whether we’re going to use a long-term solution that will fundamentally change our community for a short-term problem, which is the budget.”