What
Next?
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MID and its CEO, Frank Stronach, have some decisions to make. Can
they operate on their own without Penn National's
money?
Will Stronach stand by his
statement that it makes no sense to cut Maryland racing when slots
revenue is forthcoming?
Will the MID stockholders demand
that Stronach consider offers from the local partnerships that have
expressed interest in buying the tracks?
MID now understands that
Maryland is not going to allow him or anyone else to use the
Preakness as a cash cow while killing the jobs, the farms, and the
history that racing supports. The company will either play by our
rules or sell.
Can Stronach bulldoze the
tracks and develop the land, as his company has suggested to its
stockholders?
That's where politics and
organizing come in.
Governor O'Malley is well aware
that the state passed a bill two years ago giving him the power to
force a sale of the tracks in a situation such as this. Our
Maryland Horse Council survey of horse people showed that 92% of
our 314 respondents would support his use of this drastic measure
if necessary. Nobody likes the idea of the state seizing private
property, and the process of determining fair market value is
subject to a lot of court action that would cost MID stockholders
and cost the state.
Still, O'Malley can step in and
facilitate a transfer of ownership with eminent domain law as a
stick, and money to MID stockholders as a carrot. The tough stand
by the Racing Commission makes doing business in Maryland less
appealing to MID. Some say that MID hopes to convince the MD
General Assembly to change the slots funding formula to allow them
to receive an operating subsidy. Others say that MID is no more
popular in the legislature right now than they are with the Racing
Commission, so any bill that they propose is likely to be shot
down.
We at the Maryland Horse Council
know one thing for certain. The horse industry must not only stick
together to save this industry, but we must also build alliances
with our friends in the agricultural community, open space
advocates, and the people who care about jobs and social justice.
The upcoming legislative session will see efforts by some to take
away racing's cut of slots money. That is the real threat that we
face.
If you want to be a part of this
struggle to keep horse racing alive in Maryland, click on the Join
Now button at left and become a Horse Council member. We can claim
to represent all 40,000 horse folks in this state, but without your
dues we can't get the job done.
Thanks
for staying informed, and please forward this email to anyone who
cares.
Steuart
Pittman
President, Maryland Horse Council
dodonfarm@verizon.net
410-507-3351
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