Council introduces dueling slots bills

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John F - 2009-10-25 12:38:11

They are going to rip up the parking outside the food court. This is less than 100 feet from the existing mall.

And, most people just do not understand the actual land use issues that exist.

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Rob A - hanover, MD - Karma: Excellent

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Tired of hearing read em and weep.. - 2009-10-24 23:04:05

Seems pretty arrogant for one to say that we must allow the County to stick slots anywhere they please along 295 just because the voters approved the basic referendum -- no, no, no! It does not end there. We still have a right to voice our concerns when the applicable zoning adjustments are considered to allow for slots to be placed in a specific location. If area residents object to the AMM location due to local residential impacts, then that is their right to voice those concerns and our legislators should take those concerns into primary consideration when voting on the zoning bills, particularly when the impacts are expansive and there are other options. Mr. Cordish (or more likely another investor) can make a very good profit south of Rt. 32 with a slots venue if the state can be leveraged to re-open bidding. Where else in this country do you see a major slots venue smack in the middle of a mall and within visual range of a school? They all seem to be added on at or near race tracks or established within existing resort towns. Hanover is no resort town and I believe residents have no desire for making such a transition. Even if this goes into 2010, at least the Council will hopefully get it right and perhaps save their jobs.

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Jim K. - Severn, MD - Karma: Excellent

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Rob A - 2009-10-24 22:14:45

Rob---can you please give me your definition of "a few feet"? I admittedly do not know the blueprint of the mall as I don;t go there that often, but I suspect your "few feet" is probably more like a "few thousand feet". It is a big property.

As to removing the sign in the median. The sign itself is illegal and probably should be removed. There may be an agreement between the county and the mall for the removal of ANY sign in the median.

And while people talk about the sins of slots and the degradation of family life in the area, how do you answer that with the advent of slots, the area will likely be a lot more safe than it currently is?

You say the bill requires the County to spend money in the immediate area--more police, better fire protection? Certainly the slots parlor is going to have a private vested interest in security for themselves and of course their patrons. If the slots parlor parking lot sees the level of crime that AMM sees, they will be out of business in no time.

I recall when Atlantic City was a resort (60s) an absolute crime ridden sh!thole (70s) and a revived town due to gambling (80s). Gambling came in and crime went down. Yes, the mob came in for a while, but at that point, AC was the only gambling option east of the Mississippi.

Just some thoughts. And I still say, if the voters did not bother to read or understand the referendum (no matter how poorly written), whose fault is that? Why didn't they take the initiative to call their councilman and ask the question--hey, what does this 2 mile swath mean?

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John F. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

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Arundel Mills Mall Security - 2009-10-24 10:50:50

I witnessed an Arundel Mills Mall security employee removing a Stop Slots at AMM sign this morning. The sign was located in the median strip in front of my neighborhood and not on mall property. With all the crime that is happening at the mall, one would think that mall security would have their hands full protecting mall visitors and not be restricting freedom of speech.

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Douglas P. - Hanover, MD - Karma: Neutral

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Limits on Local Revenue - 2009-10-23 16:58:36

Per Senate Bill 3, Local Impact Grants, the $30 Million (or less) must be used in "Immediate Proximity" to the casino location. The only way for the County to extract this money and use it elsewhere would be to pull an immoral (and probably illegal) Enron type shell game. Remember, the county has been successfully sued for doing this in Laurel.

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Rob A - hanover, MD - Karma: Excellent

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vote them out - 2009-10-23 16:17:15

what are same of our council people thinking? put slots where we can get the best return. We need money to keep services going in the county,The fire dept. is already cuting OT and pulling fireflighter from one of fire station in north county now ,councilman Jones dist.. To council people vote for whats is best for our county,I for one would hate to see $35M go out the window. Sr.

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Ronald D. - Pasadena, MD - Karma: Neutral

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Where they belong... - 2009-10-23 15:50:57

REPOSTED

I think the council should spend a lot of time thinking about the consequences of their actions... something politicians haven't been doing of late. The people of AA county approved a vaguely (and confusingly) written proposition when slots passed. I'm guessing most people didn't read it because most people I talk to thought 1 of 2 things. 1 - slots would only be allowed at race tracks and 2 - slots were being enacted to save horse racing in Maryland. Both are good reasons why they should consider rejecting slots at A.M. Mall. On a side note, everytime this subject comes up, there are comments that say things like 'Slots at racetracks makes no sense... slot players don't bet horses and horse gamblers don't play slots' I can't argue the accuracy of those sentiments, but it seems to be working nicely for WV, PA, and DEL. I do know that all the VERY SUCCESSFUL slot parlors we are trying to take customers away from are at race tracks.

(in the interest of full disclosure, I read the bill and voted against slots)

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Matthew D. - Churchton, MD - Karma: Neutral

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Not Quite John - 2009-10-23 11:33:24

The Casino proposal is for the Mall property itself. Simon will lease it to Cordish just like they lease to other Mall tenants. Yes, it will be a stand alone building, but no more that a few feet from "The Children's Place" and the food court on what is today a parking lot. And one of the bills introduced would let Cordish proceed with his plans, but it is mortally wounded now that there is an alternate proposal with two supporters.

www.stopslotsatamm.com

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Rob A - hanover, MD - Karma: Excellent

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Some comments - 2009-10-22 11:01:59

The casino is not to be IN the mall. It is to be nearby.

The voters of THAT DISTRICT voted for them in the MAJORITY. The council is now playing the "that's not what they meant" game. I am sorry, the defining boundaries were VERY clear in the referendum. If the Council is playing that game, maybe we can just eliminate elections and let that panel just decide who they think the voters want to see in office.

As to Cordish building it someplace else. To a degree if you build it they will come. But it IS a business and they need to make a profit that is elusive in this economy, and particularly in this state. He is looking to maximize his revenue and to do that, Arundel Mills is probably the best spot specifically BECAUSE it is probably the largest tourist draw in the state.

The council is still playing with smoke and mirrors. They need to put a bill on the table that allows the zoning and will allow Cordish to develop it. Then vote on it--yes or no. And let the VOTERS decide next election if these councilmen were indeed working in the voter's best interest.

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John F. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

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Locating slots in the county needs - 2009-10-22 03:19:49

Vitale is right taking every necessary step to try to protect the people of AA country from this irreparable decision for locating slots. Slots should not be at Arundel Mills, a taxpayer subsidized successful shopping venue. The slotsino is an adult enterprise and will invite expansion of adult entertainment businesses, legal and illegal, into the county. Leopold doesn't respect covenants, he has said so. He cannot come up with a law that protects residents. The Council has to.. Such short memories!! SLOTS were outlawed because of their corrupting influence in the operation of business and government in AA County. The Council has the obligation to see that there are real safeguards in place to protect residents from the great potential for harm that the gambling industry attracts. Nevada and Atlantic City, NJ are no beacons of hope that the state can control "big money" interests once entrenched or guarantee that property values will be preserved in nearby neighborhoods.

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Maryellen Brady - Edgewater, MD - Karma: Neutral

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no slots in malls - 2009-10-21 18:49:51

i'm sorry...slots in a mall sounds like mississippi to me....are we hillbilly's...we have to be smarter than that....slots need to be where adults go only......or kids properly supervised...slots in the mall just sounds awful....we have the race track and the spot by the woodrow wilson bridge....no malls.....

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stanley d. - mayo, md - Karma: Neutral

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Anne Arundel is part of Maryland - 2009-10-21 14:34:44

Hey Rob. I do worry about Baltimore.I have emailed Sheila and Donald Fry my opinions.
I worry about my friends, family, and church members in the Arundel area. Some have lost their jobs. There are cutbacks. Anne Arundel is not an isolated place. I do not live in the immediate area of the mall. I know people in the mall area, I know people in Laurel Park as well. I am proud to say they are friends family. I do not think my friends and family in Laurel Park, Anne Arundel, or Baltimore City are any better or worse than you or me.

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Paul W. - Baltimore, MD - Karma: Neutral

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Cordish played by the rules - 2009-10-21 14:04:53

The slot shuffle is another example of poor governace. The voters approved slots, state set up the parameters for slots, Cordish submitted a legitimate bid according to the rules. The County Council has been sitting on this forever. The members move, the members change, there's anticipated change in members or its the race tracks. The Anne Arundel Council has been unwilling to make the necessary approvals, and they are unwilling to go on the record. The Cordish family seem patient, letting the council carnival play out. They followed the rules, the mall is within the boundaries originally designated for slots. Expect them to press their claim in Court. I don't support slots, but, the voters approved them and Council should follow the voters' direction.

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harry trampolini - severna park, MD - Karma: Bad

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Build it where its wanted. - 2009-10-21 13:41:57

I think Jim has it right. Why not build the Casino someplace where it can bring up the local economy, instead of putting it someplace that is already doing well? Like Arundel Mills did originally, or the Stadiums have done in DC and Baltimore, placing a casino in the depressed areas will help to bring them up. Zoning should be primarily about the local residents. If the locals don't want the development, it shouldn't be zoned there. Its really that simple.

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Philip V. - Hanover, MD - Karma: Neutral

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Maryland Unemployement is 7.2% - 2009-10-21 13:17:50

In September, it raised again to 7.2. 215K workers are out of work. Employers also cut back 3,600 jobs. At least according to information in today's B-Sun released by the Federal Government.

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Rick M. - Laurel, Md - Karma: Excellent

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One Word for those not from the are - 2009-10-21 13:00:20

BRAC.

We have enough jobs, and traffic, along Rt 295, and plenty more on the way. You should worry about the fiasco in Baltimore City. Baltimore really does need the jobs!

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Rob A - hanover, MD - Karma: Excellent

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Anti-business - 2009-10-21 10:51:19

Even if the casino is re-bid, what reputable company would want to bid after this fiasco? Would I want to risk millions of dollars (if I had it) into a climate of indecision, stalling, and personal grievances?
The return on this investment will not be that great to the developer, the state is getting the lions share of the profits. While the slots are not going to be as great as the developer and state are presenting, the slots will not be the devil's gateway as presented by the opponents.
The zoning proposed by Cathy Vitale and Daryl Jones is a weasel way of voting no to the slots.
Anne Arundel can use construction jobs and new business revenue right now.
I hope the council members can look family members of laid off employees in the eye and tell them it was for their own good that no new business should locate in Anne Arundel.

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Paul W. - Baltimore, MD - Karma: Neutral

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More Negativity - 2009-10-21 09:34:45

I never said I was for slots going into the Laurel race track.

I said I believe that Cordish was interested in buying the race track, in spite of his comments.

People are sure quick to slam the thumbs down button around here.

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Rick M. - Laurel, Md - Karma: Excellent

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Cordish - 2009-10-21 07:18:00

Despite what he says. He was interested in buying the race track and putting his slots there. I suspect he will also be a bidder during the auction off of the tracks.

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Rick M. - Laurel, Md - Karma: Excellent

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Learn the fact - 2009-10-20 22:22:01

Learn about the facts:

www.stopslotsatamm.com

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Rob A - hanover, MD - Karma: Excellent

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No slots at Arundel Mills Mall - 2009-10-20 21:15:20

This issue gets so twisted around what the voters had originally expected: slots to rescue the failing horse racing industry. Since state voters said yes to slots, the county has to figure where they can adjust zoning with the least amount of impacts to residents while maximizing business interests -- a tough task, but doable. Mr. Cordish says Arundel Mills is the only place to make a profit - I say phooey. I think if you build it anywhere along the 295 corridor, they will come. Look at Arundel Mills for crying out loud...that area was a quiet country setting before they built it. Now look, it supposedly ranks as the number one tourist draw in Maryland today. How can you argue with that? You don't need the mall to draw your numbers, Mr. Cordish. You only serve to hurt the area residents.

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Jim K. - Severn, MD - Karma: Excellent

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Stall tactic - 2009-10-20 18:15:50

This is BS. The entire council shoudl be voted out of their jobs come next November.

They were elected to take stands and vote on issues. They have failed!

How convenient that debate is now scheduled for when Josh may be leaving the council. They already have set a precedent that they don;t vote on slots when someone leaves. Remember Reilley?

All of them shoudl be ashamed. Yes it is a tough decision, but dammit make the decision. The voters have spoken and now it is their turn to speak as well!

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John F. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

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altha - 2009-10-20 14:06:50

why are you so sure he will be leaving the County County?

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M. Donnell - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

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How Committed is Cohen to anything? - 2009-10-20 13:27:49

How appropriate that he plans to abandon his duties on County Council the very day that an issue which he is supposedly so passionate about is being considered?

Questionable timing, even for Cohen who hops from job to job without finishing the one he was elected to.

Slots is supposed to be such a big issue to him, yet he will allow the advocates to win by default while he climbs his way upward.

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altha b. - annapolis, md - Karma: Excellent