|
Ehrlich slot machines maryland { February 26 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2342-2003Feb25.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2342-2003Feb25.html
Ehrlich Applies Pressure for Slots
Only Alternative Is to Slash Budget, Governor Says
By Craig Whitlock
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 26, 2003; Page A01
Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. yesterday threatened to slash the state budget unless lawmakers legalize slot machines in the next few weeks, even as he told the House of Delegates that he was still reworking the basic outline of his gambling plan and didn't know when it would be completed.
In a highly charged speech to a House committee, Ehrlich (R) said extensive gambling was necessary to generate money to save Maryland's horse industry, improve its public schools and save the state from fiscal disaster.
Although he did not disclose any details of his bill, which his staff is rewriting under severe time pressure, Ehrlich said there was only one alternative to slots: painful budget cuts that could amount to $2 billion annually. He repeated his promise to veto tax increases, saying voters elected him to reduce spending.
"It seems to me your options are fairly limited," Ehrlich said. "I know some people in the legislature want to kill the slots bill and want to pass tax increases. I will veto those tax bills. The people did not elect this administration to pass a major tax increase."
The governor underlined his defiant tone by strongly criticizing House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel), accusing his political nemesis of exploiting race in the slots debate by encouraging black ministers to oppose gambling.
Ehrlich's remarks came after he was asked by one delegate about a comment he had made in a private meeting with members of the horse racing industry the day before, when he accused Busch of "playing the race card."
"I meant what I said," Ehrlich replied as he stood next to Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele (R), the first African American elected to statewide office in Maryland. "To bring the race factor in, to us, was clearly inappropriate. To me, it took this debate way off course. I resented it; the lieutenant governor resented it. I just found it inappropriate."
"Race as a consideration here is almost wholly irrelevant," Ehrlich continued. "Nobody has explained to me why black preachers are being targeted. Why not white preachers?"
Ehrlich's comments elicited an outburst from several white clergy members in the audience -- "What about us?" some exclaimed -- and appeared to stun Busch, who was seated a few feet away. After the governor left, Busch interrupted the legislative hearing to give what he called a personal response.
"I find it extremely hurtful to be accused by the executive of the state of somehow using race as a motivator for an issue such as this," Busch told the hearing room, which was packed with a dozen television cameras and activists from both sides of the debate. "I found it disturbing. . . . [This issue] should rise or fall on its merits."
Busch has condemned Ehrlich's gambling plan, saying it would place slot machines at racetracks in poor, predominantly black neighborhoods in Baltimore and Prince George's County.
The confrontation between the governor and the House speaker added an element of personal drama to a high-stakes policy debate.
Busch and Ehrlich were close friends when they both served in the House of Delegates from 1987 to 1995. Since Ehrlich was sworn in as governor last month, however, Busch has evolved as his most vocal foe on slots, a development that has startled the governor, aides said.
Yesterday, it was Busch's turn to be startled by the turn their friendship has taken. As he left the hearing room, he blurted out to a colleague, "Ehrlich accused me of being a racist!"
In an interview, Busch said he did not want to personalize the debate. "I have the greatest amount of respect for Bob Ehrlich," he said. "Whether or not he's the governor, he's a friend of mine. But I was certainly taken aback.
"I wish the incident about race had never raised its head. I would have hoped the governor regretted saying it [the day before], but he didn't. I was just astounded that he said it in a public forum."
The contretemps capped a day that began with Busch signaling that he might be willing to compromise on gambling. Before the hearing, he said he would consider a slots bill as long as voters had the opportunity to ratify it in a statewide referendum.
Asked about the idea, Ehrlich said he would "probably not" consider it. "This is the year to do it," he said of slots. "It was a campaign promise we made. We think the momentum is there."
If the General Assembly fails to legalize slot machines, the governor said, "we'll get the scissors out. It's not going to be pleasant."
Steele and Nancy S. Grasmick, the state superintendent of schools, told lawmakers that poor and minority schoolchildren in Maryland would suffer without the revenue generated by slots. "If you don't do this, what will you do to help those kids?" Steele asked.
The hearing, which lasted more than six hours, also brought testimony from scores of gambling opponents, including Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), a former colleague of Ehrlich's in the U.S. House of Representatives. "I am really here as a reluctant witness," Wolf said, citing his friendship with Ehrlich. "I do not want to do anything to harm him or his administration. But if slots come to Maryland, there will be great pressure to bring gambling to the state of Virginia."
Ehrlich introduced a bill last month that would permit 10,500 slot machines at four horse tracks. In exchange, the track owners would pay $350 million in one-time licensing fees.
Estimates are that gambling profits could reach $1.3 billion a year, but how the money would be divided is at the heart of the debate. Ehrlich originally proposed that 64 percent of the revenue go to public schools but agreed to rewrite his bill after track owners, horse breeders and local governments demanded bigger shares.
Ehrlich and his staff dodged questions yesterday about when they expected to provide a detailed plan. The assembly passed the halfway point of its 90-day session last week and must approve a state budget by March 31.
"We're very close," said Chip DiPaula Jr., the secretary of budget and fiscal planning. "I will say that it will be much sooner rather than later."
Del. Sheila Ellis Hixson (D-Montgomery), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, told DiPaula that if he did not finish by next week, delegates would take up the measure anyway. "If we don't have your numbers, we'll be dealing with our own," she said.
Staff writers Nelson Hernandez and Lori Montgomery contributed to this report.
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
|
|
