Maryland Politics: O'Malley "surprised" by Arundel Mills slots bid - Your source of news and gossip from the Mason-Dixon Line to the Potomac

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April 27, 2009

O'Malley "surprised" by Arundel Mills slots bid

Appearing on the Dan Rodricks show on WYPR, Gov. Martin O'Malley was asked today if he was surprised by the Cordish Cos. bid to build a slots and entertainment complex at Arundel Mills Mall.

“Sure, I was taken by surprise,” O'Malley said. “I was even more surprised…that Magna couldn’t come up with the good faith money" required as a slots license fee.

“It's a tough time to sell a house; it's a tough time to sell a car, and it’s a tough time to sell a slots license,” O'Malley said.

While Magna-owned Laurel Park had been considered a front-runner for a slots facility, the company has filed for bankruptcy, and Arundel Mills Mall now appears to be the favored location. But many residential neighbors of the mall oppose the plan, and the Anne Arundel county council faces a difficult decision on whether to adopt a zoning change to allow the complex.

Posted by David Nitkin at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Comments

If it's like most other things in MD -- the death penalty and illegal immigration issues being decent examples -- the voice of the people couldn't matter less, so it's just a matter of time for Cordish to break ground on its new slots emporium.

Posted by: brstevens | April 27, 2009 2:33 PM

Tough time to raise taxes too like MOM did in 2007 and still did not solve our budget woes.
Thanks Marty!

Posted by: jay | April 27, 2009 2:37 PM

“I was even more surprised…that Magna couldn’t come up with the good faith money"

Only idiots like our illustrious gov would be surprised that MAGNA was not able to come up with the up front funding. Most who followed this boondoggle knew their financial status. Who advises this fool?

Did we not say the process of putting slots in the Constitution was a terrible mistake? If it would have been done with ANY common sense it would now be able to alter the location issue.

O'Malley is the worst Gov I have lived under in my years in Maryland.

Too bad we cannot RECALL him. We will have to wait until 2010 to call for a Constitutional Convention to add a RECALL provision in our state Constitution.

mdconcon.wordpress.com/

Posted by: Fed Up | April 27, 2009 3:37 PM

Voice of the people couldn't matter less? But the people voted "yes" on the constitutional amendment! Or do you mean to imply they ought to have read the damn thing first?

Posted by: Enjoying the mess | April 28, 2009 9:32 AM

I am at the point with Martin O'Malley where I don't even give a damn anymore how he feels.

Posted by: Carole | April 28, 2009 9:41 AM

Learn more about the arundel mills mall proposal and take action!

Posted by: Stop Slots | May 1, 2009 4:34 PM

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About the bloggers

Laura Smitherman has been ensconced in the State House basement, writing about the governor, General Assembly and vagaries of Maryland politics for several years. An erstwhile business reporter, her interest in politics dates to her days in Washington when she covered Congress and national campaigns for another media outlet. She now follows a range of policy debates from slot-machine gambling to universal health care and energy regulation, while keeping an eye on the next election.

Paul West covers Washington for The Baltimore Sun, continuing a tradition that began the month the paper was born, in 1837. He hasn't been in the DC bureau that long--only since Ronald Reagan was president. He's covered Congress, the White House and presidential campaigns as the paper's national political correspondent and Washington bureau chief. He's on the lookout for news of significance to Sun readers at the other end of the B/W Parkway. That includes the activities of the state's congressional delegation and anything else that might shed some light on the inner workings of the nation's capital.

Julie Bykowicz's first days as a political reporter, in January 2009, coincided with Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon's indictment and the start of the Maryland General Assembly's 426th legislative session. She focuses on coverage of state agencies, such as social services, juvenile justice and prisons. During the session, she wrote about the death penalty, slots parlors and speed cameras, among other hot topics. Julie began political reporting after more than seven years on The Baltimore Sun's crime desk. She lives in Baltimore and works primarily in Annapolis.

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