Del. Sam Arora, a Montgomery County Democrat, said he's hearing the effects of a further publicity effort in the Washington suburbs. Arora said he received five voicemail messages in one hour Monday urging him to support a sixth casino.
"After hearing that the negotiations collapsed, I thought the specter of a special session was gone, but it still looms large," said Arora, who has not made up his mind on the issue.
Building Trades for the National Harbor is organized under section 501(c)4 of the tax code and does not need to disclose donors. Members include the Washington D.C. Building Trades Council and "fellow labor unions and aligned business interests," said Howard Libit of Kearney O'Doherty Public Affairs, which represents the Peterson Cos.
Opponents have also mounted a lobbying effort. A Virginia-based group called Protecting Taxpayers sent out a glossy mailing, asking, "Do you support tax cuts for casino operators when your taxes are going up?"
"The notion that the legislature has to cut casino taxes in order to get a casino built at National Harbor is ludicrous," said David Williams, the group's president. "If you don't like the state rules, then don't build."
The mailers went to "a dozen key legislative districts," Williams said. That group, too, is not required to disclose its donors. Weinberg, with the Cordish Co., said his firm is not connected with that effort.
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Baltimore Sun reporter Colin Campbell contributed to this article.
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