Compromise

CORAOPOLIS, Pa. -- Organizing an airport rally and taking t the airwaves, President Clinton tried yesterday to persuade Senate Republicans to accept a compromise on his filibuster-stalled economic stimulus bill.With another attempt scheduled for Tuesday on the Senate floor to try to break the 43-member Republican filibuster, Mr. Clinton targeted Sens. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Alfonse M. D'Amato of New York. They are among a handful of pragmatic Republicans whose defection would give Democrats, who have a winning majority on the measure, the 60 votes needed to allow a vote on the emergency spending bill.

WASHINGTON -- After months of congressional wrangling, a House-Senate compromise allowing federal agencies to offer as much as $25,000 to employees who resign or retire early was to come to the House floor for a vote today.But Rep. Michael Castle, R-Del., hopes to delay action on the measure. He wants to send it back to conference committee to have inserted in the bill a controversial provision favored by the Senate to dedicate the estimated $22 billion in savings from reduced personnel costs to an anti-crime trust fund.

Karen Lumpkin loves flowers. Her husband, Doug, loves grass. See how they've managed to compromise on their 3-acre property in Monkton. See their garden and read their story at baltimore sun.com/gardener.

ANNAPOLIS -- The Senate yesterday recessed until Monday while its leaders continued to fine-tune a compromise congressional redistricting plan that appeared to be gaining support outside the chamber.The compromise, which would place Representatives Tom McMillen, D-Md.-4th, and Wayne T. Gilchrest, R-Md.-1st, in the same district, drew the backing of some House leaders before the House adjourned Thursday until Oct. 21.Meanwhile, Gov. William Donald Schaefer, who has backed a House-passed plan, could likely support the compromise, an adviser to the governor said yesterday.

The agents representing shipowners in the port of Baltimore are considering a compromise agreement with the bay pilots that could speed approval of the pilot's pending rate request before the Public Service Commission.On Wednesday, members of the Maryland Maritime Association, which represents steamship agents in the port, were asked to agree to a "stipulation" giving their approval to rate increases of 9 percent this year, 9 percent in 1992 and 7 percent for 1993. That compares with the approximately 10 percent increase in each of the three years the Association of Maryland Pilots wants the state Public Service Commission to approve.

The Carroll County school board and the Carroll Association of School Employees signed a contract yesterday, ending an impasse that began in April.The agreement is similar to one proposed by an arbitrator, with one difference that board members and Superintendent R. Edward Shilling said would protect the interests of special education students.Seniority had been the only criterion administrators used for involuntary transfers of assistants.CASE had wanted it to stay that way, but the board sought to have seniority count only within categories, such as Chapter 1, Head Start, special education and regular education.

The Crofton Country Club can build chain-link fences where its golf course abuts public roads in the community, but only if they are black, vinyl-coated fences that stand no more than 5 feet high.That tentative compromise, worked out last week, should settle a civil suit that the Crofton Civic Association filed against the country club to try to stop construction of the fences.The country club has been planning for the past several months to build five pairs of fences around the course, which runs through communities and along roads, to prevent vandalism.

A contentious Howard County Council accepted defeat yesterday and decided to try again to redistrict the county in accordance with the 1990 census.Chairwoman Shane Pendergrass, D-1st, and Councilman Darrel Drown, R-2nd, will study two districting plans in an attempt to negotiate a compromise that will be acceptable to the three Democrats and two Republicans on the council.By law, the council must complete its redistricting by May 1994.One of the maps to be used as a source for the compromise was approved by the council in a December 1991 resolution by a 3-2 vote along party lines.

A joint House-Senate committee has developed a compromise plan that would enable the state to take over the City Jail, a step that its proponents say would save the city millions of dollars a year.Within hours of the deal being finalized yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee voted in favor of it. It still must be approved by the full House of Delegates and the Senate, but a city official said he was "highly optimistic" of its passage.Gov. William Donald Schaefer pushed for the takeover in response to requests from the city.

Developers and opponents of a 722-home planned unit development (PUD) proposed in Gambrills haven't reached a compromise and an appeals hearing on the project is set for this afternoon.A scheduled hearing last month was delayed until today to give both sides time to meet. But an attorney representing one of the opponents said an agreementcouldn't be reached. "We would just as soon let the board of appealsdecide," he said.Attorneys were more optimistic last month, saying there had been a "meeting of the minds" on a proposal offered by Thomas and Dorothy Watts, who live near the proposed development on St. Stephen's ChurchRoad.