Rehabbing the state constitution
Assembly minority leader Brian Kolb is looking to reinvigorate the state”™s electorate rousing support for a constitutional convention next year.
Kolb, who represents the Finger Lakes region, has been barnstorming the state for his idea. He came to the Rockland Business Association”™s luncheon at  Dellwood Country Club Dec. 17, explaining his reasons for a convention. The voters are angry, “and they showed it with the lowest turnout in the nation in the past mid-term elections … they feel they have no voice. A constitutional convention will make voters feel empowered.”
When asked for a show of hands for those who support New York”™s current political and financial predicament, not one was raised. “No surprise there; I have traveled across the state, and so far, not one person has supported the way Albany is conducting the people”™s business.”
Depending upon where people live in the state, priorities are different, he said.
“This is a mechanism to rally the troops from across the state to change state government. That”™s where the idea to call for what we think of a ”˜peoples”™ constitutional convention”™ stems from.”
Although the state is mandated to have a referendum for a constitutional convention on the ballot every 20 years, Kolb feels 2017 is too long to wait. Â “We need this sooner than later. We want the voters across the state to say they want to see a convention convened. This is a nonpartisan idea. It is the most bipartisan idea I”™ve seen come out of Albany.”
A constitutional convention would be composed of three members from every senatorial district and “at large” districts outside those parameters with one delegate representing each. Delegates would receive the same stipend as an assemblyman, but their jobs would be temporary ”“ between six to nine months. To ensure there would be no political pandemonium, no elected official in the state”™s Legislature could be part of the three-member team.
“If they chose to do that, they would have to give up their seat,” he said Kolb. “That is a significant change from past conventions, where Assembly members could also sit as members of a constitutional convention committee.”
There”™s a price tag attached to the referendum, approximately $25 million to $30 million. “Is it worth the risk?” he asked. “If we had a state spending cap in place for the past eight years, we would have saved over $8 billion. Instead, Albany has continued to overspend its budget with money it didn”™t have. Money spent wisely is money well spent.”
The call for a 2011 constitutional convention would have to be reintroduced when the Legislature reconvenes in January.
Albany and Washington have become so paralyzed, said Kolb, adding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act had, in reality, hurt the people of New York, “since the state depended on that money and continued spending freely, expecting to be bailed out by ARRA funds.”
Kolb has high hopes for incoming Gov.-elect Andrew Cuomo. “I hope he and his team will truly walk the walk.”
Kolb said Cuomo supports the idea of a constitutional convention. “Spending needs to be reigned in and job growth in the private sector are two major goals sought by the constitutional convention ”“ we would not need it if we could attain those goals””but we need some mechanism or process that can”™t be labeled ”˜partisan”™ if Albany can”™t make those two things happen.”
Saying a convention “takes special interests, including the Legislature and Governor, out of the equation, constitutional convention members can take up whatever issue they want to take up and decide to present back to the voters as a platform. Voters get to say yes or no to whatever is proposed … and the Legislature will have an extremely difficult time changing whatever is voted on.”
Outgoing chair of the RBA board of directors Bert Steinberg asked if Assembly leader Sheldon Silver has shown support or disapproval.
“I don”™t think anyone”™s asked him directly, but I don”™t think he”™d be in favor of it, since it would jeopardize the power structure in Albany,” Kolb said. “Could he stop it? I”™ve always maintained legislative leaders don”™t stop it ”“ it is the legislative conferences that have the most control and can stop it.”