By Barbara S. Miller

Staff writer

bmiller@observer-reporter.com

In the wake of Washington County's first foray into divvying up more than $8 million in slot-machine revenue, a few observers have expressed opinions on how they'd like to see the process work the second time around.

The home of Clarence Spicer of North Strabane Township overlooks the source of the windfall, The Meadows Racetrack & Casino.

"I go out on my back deck, and I can smell the wealth," Spicer said Monday. Washington County had $88 million worth of requests for slices of the slots' revenue. The commissioners last week recommended $8 million worth of projects to the state Department of Community and Economic Development, which has yet to provide a final figure.

Spicer likened the local share of slots revenue to legislators' "walking around money. All it is is spreading influence. For what purpose? Re-election," Spicer opined.

State law says that fourth-class counties, including Washington, must use the local share of slots revenue for economic development projects, job training, community improvement projects and public interest projects, but it didn't mandate how the county should go about allocating the money.

Harlan Shober, chairman of the Chartiers Township Board of Supervisors, said he would like to see someone on the local share committee of the Economic Development Roundtable who would represent townships, boroughs and cities.

"I feel that panel was put together fast. This came up fast this year," Shober said last week after learning that his township's $2.8 million request for a sewage interceptor was whittled down to $40,000. "I think the trust factor needs to be there so next year we have a real good process. I'm not condemning the people that were there. They have a lot of integrity, and they tried to do their best."

Shober, who was unsuccessful in his bid for a Democratic nomination as a county commission candidate last year, said he's not proposing that he be appointed to the panel.

"I'm not doing this on the political level. These things should've been thought about. I'm second-guessing them because I'm not a happy camper," he said.

State Rep. Jesse White, a Cecil Democrat and appointee of the Washington County legislative delegation to the local share committee, plans a series of meetings around the county, with dates yet to be announced, to make recommendations about the process and compile a report to be submitted to the commissioners.

"I've been involved in this allocation process from the beginning," White said. "As far as the allocation, I've been able to see kind of the good and the bad of it - not that there's anything bad about the process. There are things that we could do better, and that would include some municipal representation on the panel."

Washington County Commission Chairman Larry Maggi said Monday, "I think the process worked OK. I didn't see any real flaws." He noted that White is an elected official whose district includes many communities.

Commissioner Diana L. Irey noted that the Economic Development Roundtable was created in 1999, long before anyone knew slot machines would be legalized in Pennsylvania.

"Certainly, I'm willing to look at expanding it to a few local representatives," Irey said. "We want to make sure that the committee is not so large that it doesn't get anything done, but I'm willing to look at any suggestion that someone might have."

Commission Vice Chairman Bracken Burns said last week he doesn't anticipate any changes the next time around.

"I think it's been very successful," Burns said. "It's a good, intelligent, deliberative process rather than some political charade, and as a result I'm pleased with it.

"This is really about the glass being a lot fuller than it was before. I don't understand how the spending of $8.2 million took on a negative connotation."

Burns said the projects that made the cut were not chosen to curry favor.

"I think its a very, very defensible process, one that's been praised by the Department of Community and Economic Development and everyone else that's reviewed it, with the possible exception of the news media," Burns said.

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