National Harbor

Second of three articles about state ballot questions Ambrose "Bo" Vogt, a union construction worker from Pasadena, believes the effort to expand gambling in Maryland would create jobs in a field in which work has been scarce. But Tamara Davis Brown, an attorney in Clinton, thinks legalizing table games and allowing a casino in Prince George's would tarnish the image and economic future of the county she has called home since 1988. Both are firmly committed - Vogt to supporting Question 7 and Brown to opposing it. The referendum campaign has been dominated by the lavish spending of rival casino giants on slick advertising spots, but for some voters, the issue is deeply felt and intensely personal.

I cannot agree with letter writer Susan Beckwell of Bowie who suggested that we keep Maryland money in Maryland by approving a sixth casino at National Harbor which is being promoted by politicians from that area ("Question 7: Keep Maryland money in Maryland," Oct. 22). If one wants to really keep Maryland money in Maryland, then I strongly recommend that we build the other two casinos already approved in Baltimore City and at Rocky Gap to go along with Arundel Mills, Ocean Downs and Perryville and then see if a sixth one along the Potomac River is warranted..

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake brings on the muscle in a just-released ad warning voters that casino owners in West Virginia are behind the opposition to the proposed gambling expansion plan on the Nov. 6 ballot. In the ad, the former Ravens star Jonathan Ogden looms over the mayor like a mammoth bodyguard as Rawlings-Blake delivers her pitch in favor of Question 7, which among other things would allow table games at the planned Harrah's casino in Baltimore. Rawlings-Blake becomes the latest elected official to join in the ad campaign for gambling expansion.

If Question 7 is approved, MGM Grand will build a Las Vegas style casino at the National Harbor. This property will not only have a casino, but it will also be a destination for entertainment and gourmet food. The construction of the complex will provide many needed construction jobs in Maryland and the casino, restaurants, hotel, and theaters will bring countless jobs to the area for years. Penn National Gaming, Inc. has spent tens of millions to influence the voters to vote no for Question 7. There have been countless advertisements on television.

The pro-Question 7 elements tout that bringing another casino to National Harbor and adding table games to all six would provide 12,000 jobs. Presumably some of these would be at the Baltimore site, not yet built, but what they are really talking about is National Harbor. Look at a Prince George's County map. National Harbor is on the shore of the Potomac River, directly across the river from Virginia, and a short (but not necessary quick) drive across the Wilson Bridge. It's also about two miles from Washington, and a convenient drive out of the city down I-295.

Gov. Martin O'Malley has made a television ad in support of the gambling expansion plan he sponsored during a General Assembly session this summer, assuring viewers that the money raised will go to education. Opponents financed by Penn National Gaming have been hammering home a message that the hundreds of millions of dollars expected from allowing table games and a new Prince George's County casino will not necessarily be used for the purposes outlined in the expansion plan.

Proponents of expanded gambling have enlisted four leading political figures — including Gov. Martin O'Malley — to make television ads assuring voters that the additional tax revenue expected to flow into state coffers will go to education. The 30-second spots aim to counter what is apparently an effective argument by opponents of Question 7 on the Nov. 6 ballot: That voters can't trust politicians not to divert the additional revenue away from the schools. The latest ads show O'Malley, Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and and former Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith telling Marylanders that if they stop the flow of gambling dollars to neighboring states, the money will be used in the classroom.

Armed with a $500,000 war chest donated by the developer of National Harbor, former Prince George's County Executive Wayne K. Curry plans to conduct a grassroots campaign on behalf of the gambling expansion question on the Nov. 6 ballot. Curry's campaign committee will work parallel to the efforts of a separate group financed largely by MGM Resorts International, the prospective developer of a casino at National Harbor. That group, FOR Maryland Jobs and Schools, has already spent at least $21 million on a media blitz in support of Question 7, which would allow a Prince George's casino and permit tables games there and at already licensed Maryland slots parlors.

Two prominent Maryland Republican leaders from the recent past threw their support behind the gambling expansion plan crafted by Gov. Martin O'Malley and the Democratic leaders of the General Assembly, contending that a new casino in Prince George's County will yield hundreds of millions in tax revenue for the state's schools. Former Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, who also served as chairman of the Republican National Committee, and former Republican national committeewoman Audrey Scott jointly endorsed the measure, which is up for a vote on the Nov. 6 ballot, according to the ballot committee supporting Question 7. "Partisan politics should not interfere with economic development and the creation of jobs," they wrote.