I am upset that this was all done behind closed doors. But I understand that sometimes the county has to work with a business to get them to come to our county.

I just think the commissioners should have been a lot more open with the citizens to let them know what was going on. We all know that sometimes you have to make a deal to get the greater good– 350 jobs, economic development and impact aid to Perryville and the county. But I just wish it didn’t smell so bad!

Your statement of “most of these secret negotiations were well before the ballot question on approving slots” is not correct. Maryland voters approved slots in November of 2008. Cecil Times reported that correspondence with Penn National on this issue took place in September of 2009.

I don’t like the committment to Penn National for reimbursement of costs any more than you do. However, taxpayer dollars are not being used for that reimbursment – it’s being funded from the slots revenue proceeds.

I won’t disagree that this arrangement is distasteful. At a minimum, it deserved a lot more “sunshine” on the process and the decision than it got. I do appreciate the current board of Commissioners for analyzing the submitted expenditures by Penn National and making an informed decision on the costs they’ll agree to pay for.

I agree that Cecil Times does a good job in reporting news not normally seen in print. One point of clarification. The state has been (on a monthly basis) depositing local government’s share of slots proceeds since December to Cecil County.

Also, the State doesn’t mandate a 3-year plan – the legislation called for a “multi-year plan”. The county and Perryville both interpreted this to mean three years.

Thank you again, Cecil Times, for your article on this matter.

I noted that most of these secret negotiations were well before the ballot question on approving slots. I don’t recall the open ended costs incurred by the taxpayers to fund these expenses as part of the ballot issue. In fact the whole sales pitch centered on how this initiative would bring money to our county.

Now we learn that we are to subsidize a corporate hand-out at taxpayer expense. Shameful! This is what happens with government by secret meetings. (Its a fine example of why we need citizen representation on the Charter Council). The insider guys who made this “personal ” offer should be made to pay with their own money.