NEWS CONFERENCE 721

A. Yes, I did.

Q. Can you tell us the results of the meeting?

A. Well, the senators simply indicated that for the first time they
had received word from the Baltimore City judges about this bill and
they were frankly not too well advised of its progress. They wanted
to know whether I was pushing very hard for the bill. I indicated to
them, very frankly, that in a year as tight as this, I wasn't pushing for
any bills to spend any more money if they weren't supported as local
bills by the local legislators, and in the absence of support that I had
not funded this in either the original or the supplemental budget,
but if the bill was passed in one form or another I would then make
some effort to provide through appropriations — special emergency
appropriations — for at least some part of its funding. However, I
told them until I saw some evidence of support for the bill from the
City legislators that I was not going to take any active part in it.

Q. Are we to take it from this that the City senators have not given
support to the bill?

A. Well, this is the first time I had heard from anyone on this bill —
this morning.

Q. Are you convinced now after your meeting that the City senators
are supporting it?

A. Well, I can't answer that. You'll have to ask them.

Q. Governor, once again some of the Baltimore City Councilmen
are irritated because Commissioner Pomerleau did not show up at a
meeting last night, and one went so far as to suggest that you direct
the Commissioner to attend Council hearings. What are your thoughts
on this?

A. I have said several times this year, that although the technical
supervision of Commissioner Pomerleau rests with the Governor's
office, that I have indicated my sympathy that his true direction must
come from the Mayor. The Mayor, and I, and Mr. Pomerleau have
discussed this, and we are in accord that since he is the Baltimore City
Police Commissioner he should be responsive to the Mayor's direction.
Now it would seem to me that if the Mayor really believed that he
should be at this meeting, he would have indicated it to the Com-
missioner. I don't know whether he did or he didn't, but I'm not
going to sit down here at Annapolis and try to tell the Commissioner
what meetings he should go to and which ones he should stay away
from. I am not even aware as to whether there was a breakdown in
communications this particular time or what went wrong, but ob-