Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke has suddenly decided to take a stand against casinos in Baltimore. How odd. He was supposed to be awaiting the findings of a task force he appointed last year, chaired by retired Judge Harry A. Cole, before making a pronouncement. But in an election year, strange things can happen. Mr. Schmoke's politically motivated announcement that he opposes casinos now makes the Cole commission moot.
When the mayor announced last year that the retired Court of Appeals judge would head the casino commission, he explained that the matter of legalizing casino gaming in Baltimore City involved such complicated questions that a thorough examination was required by a special panel.
Now it appears he simply wanted to buy time and create a buffer. Never mind that the Abell Foundation had just published its comprehensive review of the issues and dilemmas related to legalized casino gambling for Baltimore City and that any further study would not uncover much new information. "It was my preference to wait until the commission completed its report" the mayor said of the review, which is still scheduled to end in December with the release of a report.
As his re-election campaign against City Council President Mary Pat Clarke heated up, Mr. Schmoke realized that his position on casino gambling was "a significant issue" that interested voters. "I moved up my own decision." In other words, he no longer felt he needed the cover that the Cole task force was supposed to provide for him.
Mr. Schmoke's opposition to gambling means that he and Mrs. Clarke have no difference of opinion on the question, as both showed at a recent candidates' forum sponsored by Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development.
The positions on casino gambling taken by the two mayoral candidates are commendable. Baltimore City is the wrong location for legalized gambling halls. Casinos would destroy the Inner Harbor's family atmosphere and they would pose a major economic threat to existing restaurants and taverns. Casinos could decimate thoroughbred racing at Pimlico, too, dealing a staggering blow to the horse-racing industry in Maryland. In TC major urban center, casinos might also become havens for criminals attempting to launder drug money as well as organized crime elements.
It is unfortunate that Mr. Schmoke could not wait until his own task force had done some research on casinos in the city. There was no reason to embarrass Judge Cole just to score political points. But the mayor did make the correct call regarding gambling and Baltimore.
Casinos are a bad bet.
