Published: May 16, 2008 11:36 pm         

Garrett BOE won’t take side on slots

County commission supports measure to legalize machines

OAKLAND - While the Garrett County Commissioners and chamber of commerce have taken positions in favor of slots in Maryland, the board of education has abstained from taking a side in the ongoing debate.

“I don’t think we have anything to gain by (taking a position),” Donald Forrester, member of the board, said. “It’s a Band-Aid to an arterial bleed.”

Forrester suggested to the board Tuesday night that it take no stance on the issue, despite the fact that the money from the slot machines is supposed to go toward state funding of education.

He said that he felt that, in the past, those in education had been promised the same thing, using the lottery as an example, but that there was no way of seeing that any of these types of activities really benefited education funding.

Jim Raley, board president, said the request that the board take a side on the issue had come from Denny Glotfelty, county commission chairman.

Ernie Gregg, county commissioner, said that it had been a 2-1 vote for the county commissioners to side in favor of slot machines.

“I am not in favor,” Gregg told the board Tuesday. “It’s a short-term fix to a long-term problem.”

The vote made by the board of education was 2-1 in favor of not taking a position on the issue, with Rodney Durst, board vice president, saying that he would prefer to take a stance against the issue. Member Thomas Carr was not present at the meeting to vote.

On Thursday, the same issue was brought up at the board meeting of the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce.

Bill Meagher, chamber member and owner of Lakeside Creamery, explained that the Maryland Chamber of Commerce is pro-slots. He said that at this point, the state’s budget still does not “add up” without slots incorporated into it.

He said that the state chamber had been approached by the state teacher’s union to support this issue, which would allow slots at five locations in the state, including Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort.

“They say it’s the only way they’re going to find funding for schools,” Meagher said.

Four members opposed giving support to the slots referendum, some saying they did not know what the effects socially could be. Seven other members voted in favor, discussing that in the past, when money hasn’t been available from another source, it would come from the business community.

Several of the chamber members mentioned the taxes already increasing on small business and service-based business.

The referendum will be included on the November general election ballot for the general public to decide whether the slot machines are put into place.

Contact Sarah Moses at smoses@times-news.com.