VERONA – New York State Assemblyman Brian Kolb, R-129, made an appeal to local voters to make urgent calls to their legislators at a “People’s Convention to Reform New York” town hall meeting on Thursday night that filled the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Middle School gym.

“There has never been a better time for people to mobilize their anger and call legislators,” he said. “People are ready to make a stand.”

Kolb along with New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-47, and Assemblyman David Townsend, R-115, were on hand to answer questions about a bill currently before the Legislature to place a referendum on the ballot for a 2012 state constitutional convention.

The proposition for a people’s convention is automatically on the ballot in New York State every 20 years. The next time it would appear on the ballot would be in 2017. A piece of legislation, “The People’s Convention to Reform New York Act,” has been introduced which, pending an up or down vote in both legislative bodies and the governor’s signature, would put the proposition onto the ballot this Fall.

Kolb started out by asking the audience, by a show of hands, if the government in Albany has been working for them. Not one person raised a hand.

He said it has been the same way at all the town halls he has led.

He said he had been searching for a way to reform Albany and a constitutional convention was the best way. “It is an opportunity for reform and it is non-partisan,” he said.

He said now is not a time to point fingers.

“We are not blaming anybody,” he said. “But this is a mechanism for change.”

He took time to explain in detail how the process would take place.

Delegates would be elected in non-partisan elections with three delegates chosen from each of the 62 senatorial districts and 15 delegates statewide for a total of 201, he said.

Candidates of a State Senate district would be required to obtain 1,000 signatures from voters of the district and candidates for statewide delegate would be required to obtain 10,000 signatures from voters, at least 100 from each of the ten congressional districts, according to Kolb’s Reform NY website.

He said the reason it is being called a “people’s convention” is that the goal is to allow the people to have the control.

Any elected officials, lobbyists, special interest representatives or party officials would be forced to resign from office if elected as delegates, according to a press release.

He said part of the problem at the last constitutional convention in 1967 was that many of the legislators, who were the problem in the first place, became delegates.

“We’re changing the rules as to who can be a delegate,” he said.

Questions were asked about the possibility of special interests stacking the delegate pool.

He said it won’t be a problem because information flows so quickly, especially on the Internet, that people will be able to identify groups trying to do that.

There were questions about how the convention’s recommendations could pass by a referendum if some of the changes suggested were unpopular with voters.

He said the changes could be presented as separate referendums so voters could vote for each individually. Any changes that the delegates made would have to be voted on by referendum at an election held not less than six weeks after the end of the convention.

More information about the proposal can be found at:

www.reformny.org

VERONA — There will be a “People’s Convention to Reform New York” town hall meeting tonight in the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Middle School gymnasium at 6:30 p.m.

New York State Assemblyman David Townsend, R-115 and Assemblyman Brian Kolb, R-129, will co-host the event, which is designed to inform constituents of the people’s convention and its purpose.

The proposition for a people’s convention is automatically on the ballot in New York State every 20 years. The next time it would appear on the ballot would be in 2017. A piece of legislation — The People’s Convention to Reform New York Act — has been introduced, which would move the proposition onto the ballot this year.

“Let’s decide now so we don’t have to wait another seven years,” Kolb said.

If the legislation passes and the voters pass the referendum, the convention would convene in June 2012.

The town hall tour has been stopping in places across New York, including Western New York, Hudson Valley and Long Island.

“The convention would come up with things for the voters to consider that could reshape their government,” Kolb said.

Recommendations made in the convention would still have to come back through to the voters in the form of a referendum, Kolb said.

ALBANY — Area residents will have a chance to put in their two cents at a “People’s Convention to Reform New York” town hall meeting in the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Middle School gymnasium on June 10 at 6:30 p.m.

New York State Assemblyman David Townsend, R-115 and Assemblyman Brian Kolb, R-129, will co-host the event, which is designed to inform constituents of the people’s convention and its purpose.

The proposition for a people’s convention is automatically on the ballot in New York State every 20 years. The next time it would appear on the ballot would be in 2017. A piece of legislation “The People’s Convention to Reform New York Act” has been introduced which would move the proposition onto the ballot this year.

“Let’s decide now so we don’t have to wait another seven years,” Kolb said.

If the legislation passes and the voters pass the referendum, the convention would convene in June 2012.

People might say that is still a long time but it is still earlier than waiting for 2017, Kolb said.

The movement is “a grassroots, non-partisan reform effort to empower citizens so they can take back their state government and chart a positive, new direction for our state. A ‘People’s Convention’ would put the power to change government in citizens’ hands and deliver the real change New York needs, including fiscal and governmental reforms such as property tax and state spending cap, along with term limits for legislative leaders and a succession plan for state offices,” according to a press release.

The act and town halls are non-partisan, Kolb said, adding that Democratic officials are welcome to participate.

Republican Rudy Giuliani and Democrats Ed Koch, Mario Cuomo and Mark Schroeder all support the act, he said.

“But there are some people who like the status quo and would oppose this process,” Kolb added.

The town hall tour has been stopping in places across New York, including Western New York, Hudson Valley and Long Island.

“Every single town hall I’ve been to people have been overwhelmingly supportive,” he said.

A convention is a people-driven process and that it is a chance for the average citizen to become involved.

“The convention would come up with things for the voters to consider that could reshape their government,” he said.

Recommendations made in the convention would still have to come back through to the voters in the form of a referendum, Kolb said.

To RSVP for the meeting call (518) 455-5073.

Just days after state Senate President Malcolm Smith claimed that he was going to help the Democrats “redistrict the Republicans into oblivion,” several “good government” groups convened a meeting in Albany to discuss reform of state government. They invited Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

The League of Women Voters, NYPIRG and all the other “good government” groups need to get a clue.

New York has descended from a dysfunctional two-party state into a dysfunctional one-party state. The so-called leaders of this one-party state claim they’re going to make this one-party system a permanent feature.

If leaders of these government reform groups had any sense of shame or disgust about this state of affairs, they didn’t show it in the interviews they gave on the day of their meeting.

If all you do is to listen to the guys who brought us to this destructive situation, how can you expect to end up with good government?

We need a new way of doing government. The only way to have open discussions about this and then make the necessary decisions, is to hold a referendum in November on whether the people want a constitutional convention.

Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb’s bill, A. 9157, is a good place to start. You don’t have to be in favor of a constitutional convention to support this bill. You can vote against holding a convention, but we absolutely need to have the discussion.

Let’s put the Malcolm Smiths of this world in our rearview mirror and drive away.

Pete Healey

New Paltz
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=932900&category=OPINION#ixzz0oTbfaQW4

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http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1642280/WAMC.New.York.News/Constitutional.Convention.talks.come.to.Hudson.Valley

“Is Albany working for you?” asked New York State Assemblyman Minority Leader Brian Kolb (129th A.D.) to those gathered for a town hall meeting last week. “Is the New York State government working for you?”

The response from an audience of about 50 gathered at the Hicksville Knights of Columbus was silence; not a single person raised their hand.

Kolb led the April 29 meeting on behalf of the People’s Convention to Reform New York, stating the mission as a “non-partisan, grassroots effort to empower citizens so they can take back their state government and chart a positive, new direction for New York.”

During the meeting, Kolb, along with other members of the Assembly’s Long Island Republican delegation, discussed their support for a “People’s Convention to Reform New York,” and how it could deliver the positive change New Yorkers are demanding. The purpose of a People’s Convention, said Kolb, is to bring change to a state that has become “too costly, unresponsive and disconnected.”

Some of the issues that could be considered during a People’s Convention, the group says, include fiscal reforms like property tax and state spending caps, debt reform, along with a ban on “backdoor” borrowing and unfunded mandates. Governmental reforms such as initiatives and referendums, an independent Legislative Redistricting Commission, term limits for legislative leaders, ethics reform and a succession plan for state offices could also be considered, it was stated.

Additionally, a People’s Convention, according to Kolb, offers any tax-paying citizen the opportunity to run and serve as a delegate for possible reform in New York; the legislation specifically requires that any elected official seeking to run as a delegate for, or serve in, the People’s Convention must obtain 1,000 signatures from voters in their respective district and step down from their position before running.

By law, the question of whether New York should convene a People’s Convention automatically appears on the November ballot every 20 years and is currently set to go before voters in 2017 and during last week’s meeting, Kolb discussed “The People’s Convention to Reform New York Act” (Assembly Bill A.9157), that he said is a non-partisan bill that, if enacted, would put the question of whether New York should convene a People’s Convention on the 2010 ballot. If the option to approve a People’s Convention is added to the November 2010 ballot, the process of electing statewide delegates would begin and three final delegates would be in place by 2012. Through these town hall meetings, the delegation hopes to garner enough support to move up the opportunity by seven years, accelerating the state’s ability to enact long overdue and much-needed changes.

“What’s motivating us to accelerate [the process] by seven years is the state that we are in, I don’t think we can wait any longer,” said Kolb. “We need to channel anger, frustration and disgust to a positive movement that doesn’t take shots at anyone, but try something different.”

To “pass along the message of the People’s Convention,” said Assemblyman Michael Montesano (R, 15th A.D.), members of the delegation are traveling to every county in the state. He references an $8 billion increase in taxes along with hikes in SUNY tuition and DMV fees in the 2009 budget as just some reasons why change is needed.

According to Assemblyman David McDonough (R, 19th A.D.), a People’s Convention would “take control out of the hands of politicians and put it into the hands of the people,” which he said is what New York State needs. “We have let the dysfunction in Albany go on for way too long. A People’s Convention to Reform New York is just the change that the state capitol needs,” said McDonough.

“This idea of a People’s Convention to Reform New York would be a non-partisan group of citizens working together to fix the ongoing struggles of our state,” added Assemblyman Thomas McKevitt (17th A.D.). “It is obvious to the people that what’s happening in Albany is not getting the job done.”

For more information about the People’s Convention to Reform New York, contact the Assembly Republican Long Island Regional Office at (631) 366-1530 or visit www.reformny.org.

“It’s up to the minority to push the majority for change – not to complain – but push for it,” said Kolb, adding, “I have three children that I want to stay in New York, and I don’t want my son and his grandchild having to move to another state because of better economic opportunity.”

HUDSON — Some 100 people attended a state Assembly Republican session Wednesday about the possibility of calling a people’s convention to reform New York.

Most people in attendance supported the proposal.

Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua, said the onus to make changes is on the people.

“It’s totally up to the voters to put pressure on their state assemblyperson and their state senators … to get a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote on the bills before the end of session, and I think if people are really fed up with Albany and are looking for a change,” Kolb said. “Outside the Legislature, I think this is our best hope to do that.”

Assemblyman Marc Molinaro, R-Red Hook, said lawmakers need to carry the public’s concerns back to the state Capitol.

“It’s our job to take that anger and focus it and hopefully convince members of the state Legislature to allow for the public simply to be given the right to consider whether or not a constitutional convention should be called this year,” Molinaro said.

As of now it is unclear whether the proposal would have enough support to pass in the Legislature.

By Jamie Larson

A town hall meeting was held Wednesday night at the Hudson Elk’s Lodge by state representatives to gain support for new legislation which would move up the date of the next public vote on moving up the date of the next New York State Constitutional Convention, from 2017 to this November.

The meeting was led by State Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R,C,I-Canandaigua, and local Assemblyman Marcus Molinaro, R,C,I-Red Hook.

The officials said that the bipartisan effort to create what they call a “People’s Convention to Reform New York,” is currently the best plan to reform what is seen by many as a broken and wasteful state political structure.

Kolb said that there are both good and bad people and ideas in both the Republican and Democratic parties in Albany but nothing is getting done and public evaluation of the state constitution needs to happen now and can’t wait until the next time it is mandated to come to a vote in 2017.

First, however, an up or down vote in both the state legislative bodies on “The People’s Convention to Reform New York Act,” Assembly Bill A9157, would be needed to allow a convention on the ballot this year.

While he said there is opposition in both houses to the idea, now it is time for proponents of the idea to rally support and contact their representatives.

“There is a growing feeling among New Yorkers that their state government is not working for them,” said Kolb, “that it’s grown too costly, unresponsive and disconnected from the lives of those it was supposed to serve. It is time New Yorkers took their state government back.”

At the outset of the meeting he asked for a show of hands from the audience to see how many people thought government in Albany was working for them. Not one arm was raised. He said a people’s convention would take important decisions that politicians can’t or won’t sort out out of their hands and give them to state residents.

If the legislature does allow a vote on the convention in November and it is passed by state residents the whole process would take roughly two years according to Kolb.

Each of the 64 state senatorial districts would receive three convention delegates. Delegates would be elected by their districts and could not be serving elected officials or registered lobbyists.

Those delegates would go to Albany where they would draft constitutional revisions, relating to procedural issues like term limits, spending and borrowing caps, and other governmental reforms.

The convention would vote on which reforms to then send back to the voters of the state for another vote for approval. All the reforms can be voted on by citizens one by one or in an overall package.

Kolb stressed that he is not asking people to create a new process but to simply move the vote on the convention from 2017 to 2010.

“Hudson Valley families want real reform in Albany, especially given this year’s late state budget,” Molinaro said. “Genuine ideas to improve our state government like a ‘people’s convention to reform New York’ resonates with the constituents in my district. Citizens are demanding results.”

To reach reporter Jamie Larson, call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.

http://www.registerstar.com/articles/2010/04/22/news/doc4bcfb80aa7244204845304.txt