Press

Conti Announces Exploratory Committee

October 14, 2009: Conti announces the formation of an Exploratory Committee for Anne Arundel County Executive. Read press release here.

Cost-Savings Ideas

8/31/09 Guest Column in The Capital about Increasing the Efficiency of the State Government

You can access this column titled "Cost-savings ideas that will benefit the state for years to come" by searching the Archives in The Capital or you can read the same column on Joanna's blog.

You can access the column titled "Leopold playing a shell game in order to balance the county budget" by doing an Archive search in The Capital. Alternatively, you can view the column on Joanna's blog. The blog entry includes several supporting charts that were not printed in The Capital.

Bay Hero Column

4/21/09 Guest Column in The Capital About Saving The Chesapeake

This column encouraged readers to become a Bay Hero by taking steps to reduce the amount they pollute. You can either access the original article titled "There are things we can all do to help save the Chesapeake Bay" by doing an archive search in The Capital or you can view a copy of the column, including an additional graph, on Joanna's blog.

Congressional Coverage

Press Coverage of Joanna's 2004 Congressional Race

The Denver Post was one of three papers who endorsed Joanna for Congress. On 10/17/04, the Post wrote "Joanna Conti is a fair-minded and outgoing businesswoman who would represent all residents of the district" and "We'd have a hard time endorsing Tancredo over someone of Conti's caliber".

On 10/6/04, the Aurora Sentinel also endorsed Joanna, calling Joanna "A commanding woman guided by strong ethics" and concluding "This bright and energetic candidate offers solid solutions to the real problems facing America".

The Castle Rock Daily Star endorsed Joanna on 10/31/04, saying "Conti ... is a very moderate Democrat who has been endorsed by business and holds a wealth of knowledge about many issues including immigration, health care, education and others. Her reasoned and well thought out positions align her much more with the general public". [Editor's Note: It appears this newspaper has gone out of business.]

In an in-depth profile on 10/20/04, the Denver Post quoted Alliance for Youth Achievement board member Tom Arnold as saying of Joanna, "She's smart, she's focused, she's motivated by wanting to do the right thing". Author Tama Kieves, who first suggested Joanna run for Congress, was also quoted: "Everybody likes to think about helping the world, solving big problems, but not many people walk out of their living room and do it. Joanna does."

10/10/09 Letter to the Editor on Slots

Slots Revenue

This Letter to the Editor ran in the Maryland Gazette on 10/10/09

County Executive John Leopold has been chastising the County Council for not changing zoning regulations around Arundel Mills mall to allow slots. Two weeks ago, Leopold indicated that the $30 million in potential revenue the county would receive from slot machines could be used by the county to pay for services.

Leopold is mistaken. Anne Arundel County would receive 4.51 percent of the profits from slot machines at the mall, but this wouldn't go into the general fund. The county would be restricted to using these local impact fees to make infrastructure improvements in the immediate vicinity of the mall.

The area around Arundel Mills mall is a thriving residential area with hundreds of homes right across the street and behind the mall. Baltimore City prohibited slot machines on properties adjacent to or within 1/4 mile of property zoned for residential use. If the same protections had been written into the bill for Anne Arundel County residents, slots at Arundel Mills mall probably wouldn't have been an option.

Senate Bill 3 was written assuming that Laurel Park Racecourse would be the Anne Arundel site for slot machines, and this location makes far more sense. Laurel Park sits on relatively secluded land where people have been betting on horse races since 1911. While there are some homes in the area, it is likely that the residents have made their peace with gambling.

There's no reason we should risk the quality of life of families who live near Arundel Mills mall. The County Council should reject Leopold's request to rezone the area. If the tax revenue is critical to the state, leaders should shift their focus to figuring out how to reopen the bidding to allow slots at Laurel Park Racecourse.

JOANNA L. CONTI
President, Make Maryland Great