September 10


After a 90-minute Monday night meeting in the Maryland governor's mansion, Gov. Robert Ehrlich, House Speaker Michael Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller shook hands on an agreement they hoped would lead to a resolution of the ever lasting battle involving slots in that state.

A quick 48 hours later, the agreement had failed, and the three leaders were tangled in a heated exchange of words over who was responsible for the situation.

The three men agreed on only one point, that they had settled on six locations for slots facilities, including three already operational racetracks and three new facilities near Cambridge, at Rocky Gap in Allegany County and near the stadium complex in Baltimore. Other than that, there are many noted differences in their recollections about who agreed to do what at their meeting at the governor's mansion.

Busch said Thursday that Ehrlich had agreed about putting a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to set the limit on the number of machines and listing six sites where they could be located. Busch stated that he promised in return to try an persuade House Democrats to drum up support for the amendment and a separate piece of legislation backed by the governor dealing with issues such as how slot machine licenses would be awarded and how the revenues would be divided.

In two meetings with reporters Wednesday, Ehrlich would not disclose whether he had agreed to accept a constitutional amendment. In the past, he has opposed this amendment.

The governor said the agreement started to fall apart after Busch, who had agreed to support his bill, began promoting a House slots plan that did not pertain to anything they discussed Monday night.

Miller, who initiated the meeting Monday, said Ehrlich had agreed to canvas the 43 House Republicans about putting a slots amendment on the November ballot, although he didn't say Ehrlich had committed to putting the question on the ballot. But the Senate president appeared to put more of the blame on Busch for the collapse of negotiations, saying the speaker had agreed to support the governor's bill and did not follow through on that commitment.

Miller and Paul Schurick, Ehrlich's communications director, said the problem may have been that Busch couldn't deliver on the promises he made at the meeting in the mansion.