Strange Bedfellows

As the House of Delegates begins debate this week on a budget package that could bring deep cuts in local aid to Baltimore County, members of the county’s House delegation focused their attention on legalizing video lottery terminals for use by nonprofit organizations in the county.

Del. Eric Bromwell, chairman of the county delegation, offered an amendment Tuesday morning to add Baltimore County to a bill regarding slot machines, which affects, among other counties, Worcester County. (more…)

County Executive Jim Smith will make a rare appearance before the County Council later today.

Smith will be wearing his other hat, as president of the Maryland Association of Counties, when he appears with David Bliden, who is retiring executive director of the association.

The pair will speak for 10-15 minutes about the successes of MACo in advocating for the interests of local jurisdictions including Baltimore County, according to a source familiar with Smith’s appearance. (more…)

Carroll Roy Bond’s Oct. 29 sentence on three counts of illegal slot machine possession and operation may not seem like a lot when you consider he was charged with 110 counts.

But the prosecutor on the case says the result was just right. (more…)

He was an interested party, and he was supporting a friend in court on a traffic charge.

Those are the reasons offered by John Vontran to explain why he was present during Carroll “Roy” Bond’s illegal slot machine trial yesterday. (more…)

In The Graduate, Mr. McQuire imparted one word of advice to Ben: Plastics.

“There’s a great future in plastics,” McQuire says.

If that conversation were held today, McQuire might use two words: Vending machines. (more…)

County Republicans and two Democratic clubs in Baltimore County have one thing in common - opposition to the referendum that would authorize video slot machines in Maryland.

Members the the Central Baltimore County Democratic Club and the Young Democrats of Baltimore County held a debate on slots in Towson on Oct. 14. Afterward, they voted 57 percent to 34 percent to oppose the expansion of gambling in Maryland. (more…)