Clout

TC

Baltimore would lose two of its 18 delegates and share one of its six senators with Baltimore County under new state legislative map proposed Friday by a panel appointed by Gov. Martin O'Malley. The changes would further diminish the city's power in the General Assembly and reflect a population drain in Baltimore over the past decade - when the rest of the state has grown. The city's voting strength in the legislature would be less than half of what it was in the 1970s under the new plan.

With the endorsement of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Larry Agran, former mayor of Irvine, Calif., is organizing a new primary -- CityVote -- for the 1996 presidential campaign. CityVote would be held simultaneously later this year in as many big cities as he can get to cooperate, including Baltimore. The idea is to flex some political muscle. Show clout to get presidential candidates to pay attention to the problems of urban voters.It won't work. If pure democracy -- the number of voters who go to the polls -- is going to dictate urban policy in the future, then the worst is yet to come.

Friday is a red letter day for Maryland residents who like their grapes crushed, fermented and bottled: For the first time in modern history, it is legal to have a bottle of wine, whether produced in Maryland or elsewhere, shipped directly to one's door. The General Assembly granted this privilege only after years of tireless grass-roots campaigning by advocates in Annapolis and elsewhere. All of whom are no doubt thinking this single thought today: What idiots we are. Why?

Perhaps coincidentally, leaders of organized labor endorsed Bill Clinton's candidacy last Monday, and President Bush signed an executive order that will reduce the amount of money labor will have available to it for political purposes. Taken together, the two events suggest how weakened organized labor's political clout has become.The AFL-CIO would really prefer not to have to endorse the moderate governor of a right-to-work Southern state like Arkansas. Its heart belonged to Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, but his candidacy was a flop.

BILOXI, Miss. -- The 1,600 Southern Republicans who gathered here over the weekend kept reminding everyone of how much political clout they enjoy.The figures are impressive. In the 13 states represented at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, Republicans hold nine governorships, 18 of the 26 Senate seats and 82 members of the House of Representatives.The common element in this group of political activists is a devotion to cultural and social conservatism. Although the Christian Coalition presence at the conference was limited, perhaps because it was held in a hotel that offers gambling, the response to the rhetoric made it clear these are Republicans who feel strongly about such issues as abortion rights and school vouchers.

They couldn't have lived this long without learning a few lessons about how to get things done.About 300 older Carroll countians, members of local Chapter No. 662 of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), have learned that by uniting in a large organization they can wield more clout -- and have a good time doing it.Nationally, AARP has more than 33 million members. The group is a powerful voice in Washington, D.C., lobbying for policies such as the inclusion of long-term-care insurance in President Clinton's health care plan.

On the face of it, Bill Goff seemed to be the quintessential New Yorker, an art dealer who had operated studios in Manhattan for years. But Goff loves the country and has a passion for baseball, especially if the games are played in old stadiums like Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago.That passion has evolved into a successful business: selling lithographs of major-league ballparks, past and present. Since 1986, Goff has offered 40 different ballpark lithographs and sold thousands of them.

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM has it that Paul O'Neill, the treasury secretary, is the wrong man for the job with Wall Street in such flux. Sad to say, conventional wisdom is right. But just look at the reasoning behind it: The markets, we are told, need someone at the Treasury who can speak their language. An authoritative figure with a background in finance would give the Bush administration some credibility now that it's so badly needed. Jittery investors want a can-do man at the helm, no matter how much this looks like a can't-be-done sort of moment.

Republican Sen. Warren Rudman of New Hampshire apparently will announce today that he will not seek re-election to a third term. The move would radically alter the political landscape of the state and could appreciably diminish its clout in Washington.Sources in the state,asked last night whether Mr. Rudman planned to bow out,would not deny it. One said the senator was so torn by the decision that he wavered several times during the day yesterday."It's like a tennis ball going back and forth over the net," said the source.

Elkridge residents don't want the once-per-decade redrawing of County Council district lines to dilute their political influence, but some wonder if the interests of the county's oldest community are tied more closely to those of Ellicott City's in District 1 or to the rest of the U.S. 1 corridor, which is now divided among three districts. More than two dozen Elkridge residents and several people from Ellicott City filled a room Monday night at the Elkridge Library to tell Howard County's redistricting commission to keep communities intact in one district, though only four people chose to speak.

At 62, Maryland American Legion Commander Michael L. Mooney is one of the younger members of his Baltimore County post. And that, he said, is part of the problem. Membership of the Parkville American Legion Post No. 183 has dropped by half over the past decade, he said, and is losing another 5 to 7 percent each year. "Ours is a primarily World War II post," said Mooney, a Vietnam-era veteran. With the youngest survivors of World War II now in their mid-80s, and few of the tens of thousands of new veterans minted in Iraq and Afghanistan during the last decade showing much interest in taking their place in veterans service organizations, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and other groups are struggling to hold on to the active membership they need to remain vital.

City Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake had a vision a few years ago for creating a more vibrant, walkable downtown, by linking west-side sports and entertainment venues such as Oriole Park at Camden Yards, 1st Mariner Arena and the Hippodrome Theatre to form one district with a strong "sense of place." As with many other proposals for improving Baltimore's urban landscape, that one has been slow to become reality. Now, as Rawlings-Blake prepares to take office as Baltimore's next mayor, she is looking to dust off some of her ideas for the growth and development of the city where she grew up. While she has newfound political muscle to bring her ideas to fruition, she will have to do so as the city fights to come out of the worst economic downturn since the 1930s.

A soft-spoken Canadian builder without deep Baltimore ties or much gambling experience sees opportunity in a deal that the biggest local developers chose not to pursue. He came to town last week to unveil his vision for a slots palace that he believes will pull in a half-billion dollars a year - an estimate that found a skeptical reception. Michael Moldenhauer's venture springs from an unusual land agreement that would let him build on a highly visible parcel near the Ravens football stadium that the city had promised to another developer for a different project.

Mount St. Joseph's Frankie Goodwin and Archbishop Curley's Brett Przywara, two of the area's best wrestlers, will meet today in the National Prep Wrestling Tournament 119-pound semifinals at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. Twelve area schools sent representatives to the two-day tournament, and 17 of their wrestlers advanced to last night's quarterfinals. Today, Goodwin, his Gaels teammate Karl Green (285), Przywara and his Friars teammate Tony Powell (285), St. Paul's Eric Friedman (103)

One after another, the Baltimore lawmakers spat complaints at Mayor Sheila Dixon. Dels. Nathaniel T. Oaks and Ann Marie Doory said they couldn't believe the mayor hadn't shared a traffic study with them. Del. Frank M. Conaway Jr. said he was "irritated with the political rhetoric we're hearing." Dixon raised her voice to match the legislators', trying to continue her presentation at a recent city delegation meeting in Annapolis. But a few moments later, the lawmakers bristled again as Dixon told them about plans to meet with a casino developer.

Turning Crofton into an incorporated town might be a good idea at some point, Crofton residents seem to agree, but now isn't the time.Those who spoke at a community association meeting Monday night agreed with a citizens' committee that studied the issue and concluded last month that while incorporation is a good idea, the time to pursue it isn't right, mainly because of the budget cuts affecting state and local governments.A county government that already has suffered millions of dollars in losses in state aid may not support a move that threatens to extract more money from its coffers, they reasoned.

WASHINGTON -- Attorneys for Rep. Dan Rostenkowski are trying to resolve the nearly completed criminal investigation of the Illinois Democrat, sources say.One source, speaking only on condition of anonymity yesterday, told the Associated Press Mr. Rostenkowski's defense attorney, Robert S. Bennett, was "having discussions" with prosecutors aimed at avoiding a lengthy criminal trial.Lawyers told the New York Times yesterday the discussions could lead to Mr. Rostenkowski's agreement to plead guilty to a lesser charge.

Baltimore lawyer and sports agent Ron Shapiro reaches into his pocket and pulls out a Ravens business card reading "Special Advisor to the Owner." Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti says he created the title to demonstrate that Shapiro holds a significant, if little-known, place with his football team and in his life. Quietly, Shapiro - better known as Cal Ripken Jr.'s agent - advised Bisciotti during the buyout of former owner Art Modell under which Bisciotti took control of the Ravens in 2004.

If recently released Houston Astros pitcher Shawn Chacon's career is over, the Orioles will go down as the last entry on his pitching resume. It was the Orioles who, in a game about a week ago at Camden Yards, routed Chacon for six runs, eight hits and four walks over five innings as the Orioles went on to win, 7-5. In getting lit up by Baltimore, Chacon's already so-so year took a decided nose dive, with his ERA inflating to just over 5.00. Not surprisingly, the Astros planned to reposition Chacon where he might be less exposed and get him out of the starting rotation and into the bullpen.