THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 10, 1994 TAG: 9410100041
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEC KLEIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Long : 145 lines
The moving target is white, mid-50s, politically conservative, born out of state, living in Northern Virginia, wealthy, smart, independent and, above all, under pressure.
This is a loose composite of the five members of the Virginia Racing Commission who will make a decision of volcanic magnitude: On Oct. 12, they will select from among five applicants to build the state's one and only thoroughbred race track.
``I wouldn't call it pressure,'' said one commissioner. ``I'd call it tremendous interest.''
Interest is coming from all sides. From bred-in-the-bone horsemen in Northern Virginia to political power brokers down south, commissioners know all too well what's at stake - a new industry, millions in state and local revenue, thousands of jobs, bragging rights and Virginia's only major-league sports franchise.
``You know what it's going to come down to?'' an observer said. ``Good ol' politics.''
It's not supposed to. There's no magic formula, but industry authorities point to a handful of critical factors that should determine who gets the track license - a dense population base within 20 miles of the site; easy interstate transportation access; deep pockets to finance the project; and the absence of competing sports franchises, particularly other race tracks.
Simple enough, yet the commission already has delayed its decision, reportedly still wrangling to come to a consensus.
``We'd like to get behind one applicant to quell the second-guessing,'' a commissioner said. ``There's an evolving consensus. We're about 85 percent there.''
But all five commissioners are guarding their deliberations with Fort Knox effectiveness. Few are willing to discuss it openly. To prevent a leak, the commission has reportedly decided to hold off a vote until the day of announcement.
``There isn't a clue that's coming out of that room,'' where the commission deliberates in private, one anxious applicant said.
That, however, hasn't stopped rampant speculation.
``The rumors abound,'' said Thomas H. Meeker, president of Churchill Downs, the Kentucky company that's bidding for a $54 million Virginia Beach track. ``We're not in the business of rumor-mongering,'' Meeker said, but ``the consensus rumor is that New Kent is in the lead.''
Arnold Stansley, an Ohio track operator, is proposing a $40 million New Kent County track, a middle-of-the-road project with an important minority partner - Joseph A. DeFrancis, president of the Maryland Jockey Club.
But population, or a lack thereof, is a serious problem there. And other observers give the nod to Churchill Downs, the most celebrated name in the pack.
Political cynics note that Churc-hill Downs Chairman William S. Farish is a titan in national Republican political circles and that Virginia Gov. George F. Allen is a Republican, too. Allen appointed three of the five commissioners.
The governor, however, isn't the only one with political capital, sources say. Former state Sen. Elmon T. Gray and William M. Camp Jr., of the Franklin paper mill family, have many friends - old guard Democrats among them - to help boost their application to build a track in Portsmouth that would cost between $60 million and $65 million. Meanwhile, observers say, pressure is being applied by influential Northern Virginians to support Middleburg developer James J. Wilson's application to build a $42.6 million track in Prince William County.
Only one application - Covington dentist Jeffrey A. Taylor's $28.5 million proposal, also for New Kent County - is widely considered financially thin and a nonfactor.
That leaves a field of four, each applicant boasting strengths and weaknesses. The outcome is so uncertain that some of the applicants, publicly blasting each other, are privately jockeying to arrange contingencies to work with the winning applicant, sources said.
``It's a damn horse race,'' a principal investor said. ``Don't let anyone tell you different.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic with photos of each commissioner
RACING COMMISSIONERS
Sketches of the five members of the Virginia Racing Commission,
which is expected to award on Wednesday the state's first license to
build a thoroughbred race track.
Name: John H. Shenefield, chairman
Shenefield Occupation: senior partner and trial lawyer in the
firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; former associate U.S. attorney
general in President Jimmy Carter'sadministration
Residence: Great Falls
Age: 55
Appointed by: Gov. Gerald L. Baliles; reappointed by Gov. L.
Douglas Wilder
Term ends: Dec. 1994
Political affiliation: conservative Virginia Democrat
Born: Toledo, Ohio
Raised: Washington, D.C.
Name: Arthur W. Arundel
Arundel Occupation: publisher, news executive, Times Community
Newspapers, comprising 14 newspapers in Northern Virginia
Residence: The Plains
Age: 66
Appointed by: Gov. Gerald L. Baliles; reappointed by Gov. L.
Douglas Wilder
Term ends: Dec. 1997
Political affiliation: Democrat
Born: Washington
Raised: Mason City, Iowa
Name: Robert G. Beck
Occupation: president, Beck Company, which owns and operates
hotels, motels and other properties throughout Virginia
Beck Residence: Newport News
Age: 66
Appointed by: Gov. George F. Allen
Term ends: Dec. 1995
Political affiliation: Republican
Born: Harrisonburg
Raised: Fredericksburg, Newport News
Name: Ernest M. Oare
Oare Occupation: president, Oare Agency, Inc., which provides
business services for equine-related organizations; former president
of the Virginia Thoroughbred Association
Residence: Warrenton
Age: 51
Appointed by: Gov. George F. Allen
Term ends: Dec. 1996
Political affiliation: Republican
Born: South Bend, Ind.
Raised: South Bend, Ind.
Name: Robin T. Williams
Williams Occupation: journalist, former House of Delegates
candidate in the 56th District, former Richmond Times-Dispatch
reporter and former editor of the weekly Goochland Gazette
Residence: Crozier
Age: 44
Appointed by: Gov. George F. Allen
Term ends: Dec. 1998
Political affiliation: Republican
Born: Lynchburg
Raised: Lynchburg
KEYWORDS: HORSE RACING RACE TRACK by CNB