Maryland horse racing industry needs new business plan; looking forward to hearing from new paper owner | READER COMMENTARY

Letters to the editor of the Carroll County TImes.

Horse racing is not a dying sport; new proposal could help

I’m writing this as an open letter to our elected state officials as they try to justify keeping horse racing viable in Maryland.

The first point I would like them to consider is urban sprawl. Looking at the map of my own county, Carroll, the distance between Eldersburg and Sykesville has vanished.

Woodbine is rapidly connecting to that mass, reaching toward Mount Airy, which itself has sprawled well into Frederick County and north toward  Taylorsville. Westminster is working on connecting Taneytown, Silver Run, New Windsor, Hamstead, Manchester and Finksburg.

Each time one of the farms goes to housing, the existing citizens protest to protect their water supply and services. Most times they lose, and the developers’ promise to provide adequate protection to resources comes up short.

On the national level we have seen land once used by the Garden State, Hollywood Park, Arlington Park, Calder race tracks, and several others, go to development.

Here in Maryland, we used to have tracks in Havre de Grace, Bel Air, Marlboro and Hagerstown that have all been developed. Talk of developing the Timonium Fairgrounds has persisted for years even as that area has already sprawled into an ugly mess.

I keep hearing arguments that racing is a dying sport, which I contest. The best way to depict this argument is the international growth that can best be seen by the Breeders’ Cup Races and the world interests that cover that event.

In the states we cover other international events such as Royal Ascot and the Dubai races. Not as much as other events of interest that occur at awkward times. Racing is not like the Olympics as its fans expect to be paid off immediately and not when it is most profitable to air.

Racing’s business plan was broken when internet gambling was approved. No longer could they charge to park. No more admission fees. No program sales. No premium seating or dining room overlooking the track. No more concession stands.

I might inject here that when racing first came to this legislature with hat in hand we envisioned slots at the track making up for a lot of that revenue. The legislature royally messed up in the way it approved where the slots went as it created competing forces within the same gambling market.

No longer can we use attendance numbers to gauge interest. No more turnstiles. Handle indicates interest is still viable.

As I contemplate a new business plan that will work, I can see the one you are considering as very possible. With the internet, only a few tracks are needed as broadcast stations to the rest of the world. I can make a strong case for Pimlico and its history being one of those facilities. I have some excellent ideas, but my word limit has expired.

— Steven Davidson, New Windsor

Hoping new newspaper owners care about longtime supporters

I spent my formative years in Baltimore and I am proud to say that. My immigrant grandparents settled there and sacrificed so much to give their three sons a better life than they ever would have realized in midcentury Greece.

Growing up, besides family and food, I can remember three things that were sacred in our home: the Colts, the Orioles and The Baltimore Sun. I cut my social, sports and political teeth reading The Sun.

Years later when I moved to Carroll County, I subscribed to The Sun and Carroll County Times. After my parents retired to Florida, they visited a couple times a year. My most vivid memories are of awakening to the sound of Dad stirring his coffee as he settled in to read The Sunpaper he missed so much the rest of the year. These quiet mornings were our chance to reconnect on the many issues we had discussed for decades. We had both come a long way.

When in 2014, The Sun purchased the Times, I was not worried at first. I anticipated more repetition, and I was not wrong. Unfortunately, over the next few years, the Times became valuable only for occasional local news pieces and sadly, at my age, obituaries. I eventually took the inevitable step of switching to a joint online subscription to both papers.

Based on this long history, I am moved to write today to express my total disappointment at the newest ownership of these papers. Co-owner Armstrong Williams prints his personal beliefs under the banner of “Owner’s Box.” Primary owner David Smith is supporting a convicted criminal for mayor of Baltimore. He wants to make our papers “more like FOX News,” i.e. abridged and inflammatory. I could go on.

I often contemplate abandoning The Sun. Several weeks ago, I did receive a call from our County Commissioners office saying Smith wanted to meet with some community influencers to hear our thoughts on the direction our paper should take.

I pledged my participation. I anxiously await this conversation. Mr. Smith, please listen to us and let us know that you care about longtime supporters of your new asset.

— Corynne B. Courpas, Westminster

Questioning a term used in Roemer column

Chris Roemer in the March 17 edition of the newspaper wrote about “abortion advocates.” This term is inaccurate. There are Americans who are pro-choice, pro-freedom and in favor of women and their doctors being able to determine the best medical care for women without interference from the government.

None of these people can be described as “abortion advocates.” I’ve never seen any pro-choice advocates chase women down a street screaming at them to get an abortion. On the other hand, I have seen anti-choice advocates harassing women in public. One side is pro-choice, not pro-abortion.

— Steven Hirsch, Westminster