Thursday, September 10, 1998; Page M06

QUESTION 6: Maryland spent $200 million to build the Ravens football stadium in Baltimore, and $70 million for infrastructure at the new Redskins stadium in Landover. Was this a wise use of public money?

Parris N. Glendening (D):

Twelve years ago, Maryland's legislature authorized the Baltimore stadium, which has been supported by three governors. In today's world, a downtown economy is based on recreation, leisure and conventions. To minimize public investment, we protected tax dollars: If you don't buy a Ravens ticket, or a scratch-off lottery ticket, or a public bond, you did not pay for the stadium.

These stadiums are producing jobs in communities that desperately need them. Last week, the Daily Record, a Baltimore publication of national renown, wrote this: "We should pause to reflect upon the extraordinary impact that this new facility will have . . . economists anticipate that the Ravens will produce $184 million annually for the economy as well as generating 2,730 jobs." The Record went on to remind us that the Inner Harbor is exploding economically because of public-private facilities.

We have kept our priorities right. We increased our support for the teacher in the classroom by more than a third, and invested more than $630 million in building or renovating 6,000 classrooms. We opened the doors to college to thousands of young people. And more than 60,000 children have health care who did not have it before. We reduced the personal income tax by 10 percent -- the first income tax cut in 30 years.

While everyone may not support these sports facilities, I'm sure everyone agrees that our agenda -- strengthening education, protecting children's health,fighting crime and gun violence and protecting our environment -- represents the right way to move Maryland forward.

Ellen R. Sauerbrey (R):

I can't comprehend how Parris Glendening can justify spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars for the construction of the Ravens football stadium when our students are forced to attend classes in trailers because schools are so overcrowded. We need to buy textbooks and computers, and build more schools, not stadiums, to provide the best education possible.

Marylanders would've been better served if their hard-earned tax dollars went towards school construction and prison overcrowding. While Maryland faces an education crisis and it's not safe to walk the streets, Glendening throws hard-earned taxpayer money at a sweetheart stadium deal that will benefit very few. The tickets are so pricey that the average family can't even afford to take their kids to a game.

Glendening greatly overestimated the benefits of the $300 million stadium deal he gave to Art Modell. The Office of Policy Analysis reported that instead of the $184 million in economic impact and 2,792 jobs the Glendening administration said would result from the stadium being built, just $64 million would be added to Baltimore's economy and only 889 new low-wage, part-time jobs would be created.

Maryland's overburdened taxpayers are getting a team bought and paid for by the most ridiculously taxpayer-financed stadium deal offered by any other state. And now Parris Glendening wants to build a $120 million thoroughbred racetrack. He just doesn't get it. The top priority of a Sauerbrey administration will be schools, not stadiums. It's that simple.