It is with great regret that community leaders throughout Western Maryland read Barry Rascovar's unfortunate column ("Racing's bad idea for W. Maryland," Opinion Commentary, Oct. 1).
 
 Mr. Rascovar's disregard for numerous facts surrounding the return of horse racing to Allegany County and his mischaracterization of the state's economic development role in Western Maryland have done great damage to the credibility of his writing about our region.
 
 As elected officials, business leaders and labor representatives, we feel compelled to take issue with Mr. Rascovar's untruths on the important topic of Western Maryland's revitalization.
 
 First and foremost, Mr. Rascovar either did not do his homework or lamentably chose to ignore the fact that the meeting he was covering was designed solely for public input. Thus, he misled readers on the subject of local government support.
 
 In numerous forums, the Western Maryland legislative delegation, the Allegany County Commission, the City of Cumberland, the Chamber of Commerce and local labor have supported the return of racing as a desirable and appropriate economic development initiative. The written record of the Maryland Racing Commission, which Mr. Rascovar could have easily uncovered, includes many of those endorsements,
 
 Lest Mr. Rascovar not understand, we are reiterating our position: the undersigned individuals support horse racing in Allegany County.
 
 Second, Mr. Rascovar suggests that the Maryland Racing Commission is not capable of making a fair and insightful decision in this matter based on their clear guidelines to act in the best interest of Maryland's racing community. Such an inference supports Mr. Rascovar's story line, but ignores the painstaking quasi-judicial process now underway.
 
 Although Mr. Rascovar intimates that the process of issuing the first new racing license in 50 years will not be handled well by the commission, we can find no factual evidence in his own writing or any source that supports that claim.
 
 Maryland's regulatory process deserves better from Mr. Rascovar than this "drive-by" potshot.
 
 This column also drives a serious and egregious wedge between state government and the people of Western Maryland. By labeling Allegany County "the land that Annapolis has forgotten," Mr. Rascovar ignores more than $400 million in direct investment committed, spent or facilitated by the state in the last 24 months.
 
 Both Allegany County and Garrett County have enjoyed decreased unemployment, increased job creation and an increase in the local tax base over the same time period. The 2,000 new jobs created here in a variety of business categories are obviously not limited to landfills and prisons, as Mr. Rascovar would have his readers believe.
 
 In a rush to oppose the idea of expanding horse racing as an economic development concept in Maryland, Mr. Rascovar appears to be playing fast and loose with the facts surrounding the events it covers -- and doing a disservice to the people of Western Maryland in the process.
 
 
 Casper R. Taylor
 
 Annapolis
 
 The writer is speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates.