A Potomac developer who owns horse racing tracks on the Eastern Shore and in Delaware told lawmakers from Frederick County yesterday that he would "likely" seek a slots franchise in the city of Frederick if a bill passed by the House of Delegates last week becomes law.
William M. Rickman Jr., who owns about 120 acres near Frederick Municipal Airport, explained his holdings to members of the county's legislative delegation in Annapolis and outlined why it would make sense as a site for slots.
In an interview afterward, Rickman said the property is strategically located to lure slots gamblers who now head to parlors in Charles Town, W.Va.
Rickman said the land, which was acquired from Hood College in separate parcels beginning about 3 1/2 years ago, is bounded by Interstate 70, the Monocacy River and the airport and is not close to suburban neighborhoods.
He said the property was annexed by the city as a possible site for development as a biotechnology center. A slots operation there, he said, could generate about $300 million a year.
The bill would allow as many as 2,500 slot machines in Frederick County. It stipulates that the franchise be within five miles of the I-70/270 interchange. That would rule out another site discussed as a possible slots venue: the Cracked Claw, a state-licensed off-track-betting parlor in nearby Urbana.
Witness Intimidation
The Maryland Senate unanimously approved a measure yesterday that would increase penalties for intimidating witnesses at criminal trials, one in a package of bills aimed at reducing the threats that stymie prosecution of some violent crimes.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jennie M. Forehand (D-Montgomery), makes witness intimidation a felony, provided that the underlying crime is also a felony. Such intimidation is now considered a misdemeanor.
Prosecutors across the state say they are losing key witnesses at criminal trials because the witnesses are scared off by threats of violence.
The measure approved yesterday is the least controversial of several bills aimed at cutting down on the practice. A measure that would allow written testimony in lieu of a witness's physical appearance in court has not come to a vote in either chamber. Defense attorneys have objected to the bill, saying that it compromises defendants' constitutional right to confront an accuser in court.
Publicly Financed Campaigns
Advocates of public financing of legislative campaigns said yesterday that the idea is gaining traction in the General Assembly after years of defeat.
Hearings were held the past two days on bills that would allow candidates for the Senate and the House to tap a public fund to pay for campaign costs. The legislation is modeled after efforts in Maine and Arizona and would take effect in Maryland in the 2010 election cycle.
"The power of the vote is being undermined by the power of campaign contributions," said James Browning, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, who spoke in favor of the legislation at a news conference.
Del. Jon S. Cardin (D-Baltimore County), sponsor of the House bill, said he is encouraged by the response to the hearings and the fact that four House committee chairmen and the speaker pro tem have signed on to the measure this year.
The $7.5 million cost of the legislation would be covered largely by closing a corporate tax loophole, supporters said.
To qualify for the public funding, candidates would have to raise a small amount of money in their districts. They would then be eligible for up to $100,000 in public money, depending on the office they were seeking and the type of district in which they were running.
Candidates would not be required to participate in the public-funding system.
Highway Employee Charged
The Maryland attorney general's office announced that a third state employee has been charged in an ongoing investigation of bribery by Stone Cold Chemical, a janitorial and maintenance supply company.
Linda Simms of Waldorf, a former State Highway Administration worker, was accused of accepting hundreds of dollars in gift certificates from Wal-Mart and Toys R Us for the purpose of influencing procurement made with a state credit card between January 2001 and January 2003, the attorney general's office said.
Efforts to contact Simms yesterday were unsuccessful.
Staff writers John Wagner and David Snyder contributed to this report.
