Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-10
Lee Drafting
Compromised on
Board
Delegate Says Bill
Would Tie Unit
Closer to Counties
BY GENE GOODWIN
Star STAFF Cnrrespnndent

IIlc MdIyldIlU NdIlOIldl Odpltdl
Park and Planning Commission.
The Montgomery County Dem
ocrat. a professional planning
consultant in Silver Spring. said
his bill would retain the BIZ
county agency for regional as
poets of the present commission
and still increase its responsive
ness to local county governments,
Mr.. Lee disclosed the main
features of his proposals as the
Montgomery and Prince Georges
delegations sat down today to
their first joint meeting of this
still-young 90-day session of the
Legislature. In all likelihood. the
full Legislature will do whatever
those two delegations decide
about the planning commission.
Delegate Margaret C. Schwein-
haut, Democrat of Montgomery,
spokesman here for the Mont
gomery group desiring abolition
of the present bi-county agency
in favor of separate county plan
ming boards, also has said she
will propose a separate reorgani-
cation bill.
Commission Submits Bill
In addition, the two State
Senators and IL Delegates yes
terday received drafts of extern
sion and reorganization bills
being requested by the planning
commission itself.
Mr.. Lee proposes increasing
the six-member, systematically
appointed commission to 10 men,
bers, with five from each county
and appointed by the local gov
Ierning bodies in each county. At
least one of the members from
each county would have to be of
the minority political party, and
at least one would have to rep
resent the "predominantly agri-
cultural sections" in each county.
Mr.. Lee, who is former execu-
tive officer of the National Cap
ital Planning Commission, the
first executive secretary of the
National Capital Regional Plan
ming Council and former vice
chairman and park commissioner
of the agency he now seeks to
reorganize, said he assumes in
making his proposal that the
jurisdiction of the planning COM
mission would be extended
throughout both Montgomery
and Prince Georges.
Divides Salaries
In order to assure more local
responsiveness, Mr.. Lee would
provide that the salaries of the
10 commissioners would be set
and paid by the Montgomery
County Council and the Prince
Georges County Commissioners.
His proposed measure also
would provide for staggered
four-year terms. Each county
governing body wodld appoint
two commissioners in 1859 and
every four years thereafter and
name one apiece each year.
The commission would select
a chairman and vice chairman
from opposite counties. each of
whom would serve as chairmen
when the five members from
each county sat separately as
county planning boards for their
respective counties. They would
sit together on regional matters
affecting both counties.
The position of park commits
sioner would be abolished under
the Lee plan and a new director
of parks would be created.
Mr.. Lee said his idea sis based
to a large extent on the agree
ment reached recently by rep
resentatives of the major civic
ORGANIZATIONS of the two
counties"
TIE apparently referred to a
proposal put forth by represent
atives of the Prince Georges
and Montgomery County Civic
Federations and the Allied Civic
Group of Silver Spring for a 10
member. locally appointed, BIZ
county commission.
Delegation Agreement
Everybody in my delegation
agrees that there must be To-
cally responsive planning agency
to serve the Montgomery Coun-
ty Council" Mr.. Lee said. THE
only question is whether it is
necessary to destroy the regional
planning structure that has
served the area so we'll in the
past.
Il feel it would be a backward
and provincial step to abolish the
bi-county commission and dis
perse its excellent staff without
first trying a planning structure
that combines the best elements
of both the regional and sep
arate county ideas. This is the
aim of my proposal.
There is a strong trend ma
tionally toward regional plan
ming. ! see no reason to move
in an opposite direction"
The park and planning COM
missions own idea about how it
should be reorganized was for
warded to the Montgomery and
Prince Georges County lawmak-
ers by E. Howard Duckett, spe-
cial legislative council to that
agency as well as the Washing
ton Suburban Sanitary Commits
sion.
The planning commission pro-
poses that it be increased from
six to II members with eight
being appointed by the two local
governing bodies and the Cover
nor retaining three appoint
ments. 1t would allow the present
commissioners to serve out their
terms. Under the Lee proposal,
their terms all would expire on