Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold has greenlighted construction of Maryland's largest slots casino at Arundel Mills mall.

But the deal is not quite a cinch.

Leopold signed legislation Dec. 22 that will allow Baltimore-based Cordish Cos. to build the casino, despite opposition from nearby residents and others across Laurel who pushed for Laurel Park's horse racing track as a slots site.

Leopold said his decision was based on economics and a pledge to voters.

"I made a commitment not to increase income or property taxes while in office and this important action helps me keep that commitment," Leopold said. "Slots will generate nearly $30 million for Anne Arundel County at a time when the county has a projected budget shortfall for fiscal year 2011 of $93 million."

Earlier this month, Cordish officials received approval from the state's slots commission for a license to install 4,750 slot machines in a proposed 215,000-square-foot facility at Arundel Mills.

But Anne Arundel's council needed to approve the necessary zoning in order for the facility to be built, and its members spent the past 10 months debating and delaying votes on the issue.

But before a packed meeting on Dec. 21, County Council members finally voted on the zoning and approved two contradictory bills, by a vote of 4-2 on both pieces of legislation.

One of the bills would allow slots at Arundel Mills and the other would not.

This leaves the door open for slots at Laurel Park, which had its own slots bid disqualified when its owners did not include the $28 million filing fee along with its slots application. The race track's owners are appealing the disqualification decision.

Leopold vetoed the bill that would prohibit slots at Arundel Mills and signed the legislation that paved the way for a slots facility at the mall.

"This revenue source is important to the health of the county and it will help us maintain our AAA bond rating," he said.

County Councilman James Benoit, whose district includes Maryland City and Russett, which are both near Laurel Park, voted for the zoning that would allow slots at Arundel Mills, but not without reservations.

"I'm not pleased with any of this because I would have preferred that neither bill passed," Benoit said. "I'm against gambling because it's a crummy way to run a government. I wanted no slots."

Benoit said he'd intended to vote against both bills, but once the legislation prohibiting slots at the mall passed, he decided to support the bill that allowed slots at the mall out of fairness.

"It wouldn't have been fair to strip Cordish of its validly obtained license. That would have violated the council being fair brokers of the public's trust," Benoit said. "If we're going to have gambling, I made my decision on what I think is best for the county and what's fair."

Voter referendum vowed

The decision by Leopold in favor of the mall as a site for slots is receiving mixed reviews from residents, and many vow to have the legislation overturned through a voter referendum.

"This is a fiasco because Laurel Park got smacked in the face," said Ray Smallwood, president of the Maryland City Civic Association. "We wanted slots at the race track and fought for 11 years to get it because it would be an economic boom for the community."

In an e-mail message, Tom Chuckas, president of the Maryland Jockey Club, which operates Laurel Park, called Leopold's decision "a sad night for Maryland racing."

Chuckas said the club will continue to pursue and exhaust all legal options in its efforts to get state officials to reconsider Laurel Park's slots bid and supports a referendum to overturn the legislation that gives Arundel Mills the green light.

"The Maryland Jockey Club will fully support the counter initiative ... to bring this issue back to the voters of Anne Arundel County, who deserve the right to determine if a mall is what they wanted for gaming," Chuckas stated.

For a referendum to be held, 19,000 signatures from residents would have be be collected over the next 75 days. Rob Annicelli, president of Stop Slots at Arundel Mills, is optimistic that they can get the needed number of signatures. He said although his group does not necessarily support slots at Laurel Park, they are working with the Jockey Club on the petition drive.

"We'll have an army of people out there collecting signatures and we are on the same side with the Jockey Club for now," Annicelli said. "But if we are successful in getting the legislation overturned, any new legislation will have to have the protections we want -- wider buffers and a larger parking to slot machine ratio -- wherever the site is."

For Leopold, the priority is job creation, which he said can be done to the tune of 1,500 permanent jobs and 2,100 construction jobs at Arundel Mills.

"I'm confident the Cordish bid that the state approved will move forward despite any obstacles," Leopold said. "Those who wanted it at the race track could have pushed for the legislation to be site-specific when it passed but they didn't speak up. Russett residents made it clear they didn't want it in their backyard."

But Smallwood said they did make their wishes known. "We had no idea that it could go to Arundel Mills nor did the homeowners by the mall know they were vulnerable. But it's not a done deal."

That's a possibility Benoit is not looking forward to -- not that he favors construction of the slots casino.

"I hope the casino never gets built, but I'm not dumb to think it won't happen," Benoit said.

"I don't think the lawsuits will change things and getting signatures for a petition will be a big hurdle. I'm just glad it's over for now."

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user comments (7)

user msbreeze says...

Ray Smallwood does not speak for all residents of Maryland City, and he certainly does not reflect the views of other neighborhoods including Russett. The citizens of Arundel Mills should have realized that they were also vulnerable, and now they are indignant. These self avowed family and community focused people of Dorchester have created an unholy alliance with the Maryland Jockey Club which wants slots at the racetract at any cost, but they are bankrolled by individuals who care only about the profit they will make with slots at the track. However, Laurel is not West Virginia: it was and remains the wrong place for a casino.

Posted 10:27 PM, 12.30.09 | Permalink

user cmasak says...

Laurel is tired of being the dumping ground for AA county and has finally had it's voice heard. Jamie Benoit made the right decision and should be praised. Annicelli, Chuckas and others don't speak for the citizens in Laurel or Russett, so their efforts to push slots to Laurel park are unacceptible. If they don't want slots at the Mills, fine, but attempting to foist them on citizens who did not vote for slots is wrong...and fairly hypocritical since the Arundel Mills communities voted FOR slots, knowing full well the mall was a potential site.

Posted 10:45 PM, 12.30.09 | Permalink

user das7813 says...

I do not live in AA County. I live next door in Howard County. I am appauled that "SLOTS" are going to be in my backyard. What is the matter with the voters in AA County? Increase in CRIME, TRAFFIC, CRIME. Decrease in property values equals decrease in county revenues from property taxes...oh, less revenue..LET'S ADD more CASINO'S. Head two blocks out from the Alantic City CASINO'S and witness the proverty...just two blocks from the Casino's. So, My question ....When is County Executive John Robinson Leopold going to move his family and his primary residence to the area around the Arundel Mills CASINO'S....I Think NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. How smug of him to look to the Casino's to "save" his county at the expense of his voters and the counties that surround. Very Disappointing Government.

Posted 11:15 PM, 12.30.09 | Permalink

user noonebutme says...

as an opponent of slots from the beginning, i am even more disturbed at the deception practiced by our representatives. we were sold slots as a means of SAVING maryland horse racing and now we're abandoning the industry and putting a casino at the MALL, of all places? what a farce. do we live in maryland or las vegas?

Posted 8:04 AM, 12.31.09 | Permalink

user silencedogood2 says...

If you want representation from your own class, start voting for second class citizens. We've been electing people with power and money, not surpisingly they lie to us, the second class, in a show of arrogant and constant disrespect.

Posted 9:48 AM, 12.31.09 | Permalink

user spalt says...

Putting slots at a retail mall makes as little sense as putting retail at a racetrack. I'm a resident of Russett and personally I'd much rather have the slots at the race track, where I don't go, then at a mall, where I do go.

Posted 10:30 AM, 01.04.10 | Permalink

user workhorse says...

Should slots arrive at Arundel Mills Mall, it will be the death knell for Maryland horse racing. Without slots at Laurel Park there will be (in a short period of time) no racing in Maryland. Maryland racing will be negatively impacted, our work force will be unemployed and the unfortunate ones who live on the track will become homeless. When we voted for the slots referrendum in Nov. 08, it was an educated guess, an assumed thought that Laurel Park was the intended site for the AA County slots parlor. I had told all of my acquaintances, family, friends and co-workers to vote for Question 2 in order to get slots at the track. Any registered voter who lives in Anne Arundel County should make sure they sign the petition when it comes your to Stop Slots at the Mills! Let's get slots back on the right track. Lets get the slots back to the race track!

Posted 11:31 AM, 01.06.10 | Permalink