Leery of being "jacked around" by political opponents, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said yesterday that he favors a special session of the General Assembly to address gambling issues but wants lawmakers to pass a slots plan outright rather than authorize a November referendum.
Ehrlich said he was not convinced that a fresh willingness from House Speaker Michael E. Busch this week to discuss a ballot-box vote represented progress in the gambling debate. Busch may be softening his message as a slots opponent, the governor said, because of criticism that he and other delegates are receiving from voters since the General Assembly's 90-day regular session ended last month without passage of a gambling program.
"Is it another way to kill the bill? I don't know," the governor said in an interview, referring to Busch's statements this week that have re-energized the gambling issue. "But I've seen this movie before, and I don't like the ending."
During an appearance on WBAL radio earlier in the day, Ehrlich said: "I believe right now, unless somebody convinces me otherwise, that this is a short-term political calculation [by Busch] to take the heat off."
Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller dined together this week and discussed the prospect of convening a special summer session to authorize a slots referendum on the November ballot. Miller said that he would be meeting soon with the governor to discuss the idea and that the three leaders would get together after that. Talks are in the early stages, but the prospect is generating excitement among slots proponents.
Led by Busch, the House of Delegates has killed Ehrlich's and Miller's slots plans for two consecutive years.
The governor said yesterday that he favors a legislative vote on installing slots at racetracks and other locations.
"We should pass the bill. I do support a special session; the votes are there," Ehrlich said in the radio interview. "We should call them in, pass the darn thing and help save Maryland's horse racing and fund public education in the process."
After the dinner, Busch said that he would continue discussions about a referendum if Miller and Ehrlich desire but that he is not working on a specific gambling plan. The speaker has previously favored state-owned facilities located away from neighborhoods and along interstate highways to attract Marylanders leaving the state to gamble in West Virginia and Delaware. The governor's plan has included locations at racetracks, with sizable proceeds going to track owners.
