August 28th, 2009

From the Gotham Gazette
Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb has been calling for a constitutional convention for weeks. On Wednesday Kolb launched an online petition to try to marshal support for his idea. Today Kolb’s office began circulating a memo about his “bipartisan legislation” that would make changes to the way a constitutional convention is carried out.

Kolb hopes to garner support from members of both parties. It is expected the bill will be filed and available to the public in about a week.

In a constitutional convention, elected delegates from across the state would propose changes in the state’s constitution. The changes would then go to the voters for approval. The idea does not generally have the support of many legislators, but Kolb said that it is time for a change. “The support will come from the grassroots and we will make a dramatic push,” he said.

Kolb would like to see a number of proposals considered during a convention, including a tax cap, debt reform, term limits for legislative leaders, the ability to recall elected officials, non-partisan redistricting reform and budget reform.

Rudy Giuliani, Mario Cuomo, Richard Brodsky and Rick Lazio are among those who also have come out in support of a convention.

The Senate coup has raised interest in a constitutional convention in recent months but Kolb said it isn’t just about the Senate’s failings. He said the culture in Albany needs to change. “There are bills in the Assembly to address high taxes and too much debt, but those solutions are not likely to get to the floor for a vote. The convention is a good way to get fresh ideas and to give the voters the chance to accept them or reject them.”

Many good-government advocates say that the very format of the constitutional convention would allow for corruption and the influence of special interests. For one, they say, legislators can run and serve as a delegate while still holding their elected office. There are also concerns about the financing of the delegates’ campaigns. But Kolb says his proposal would change things.

“If a legislator wants to run as a delegate they can’t do both. They would have to give up one of the positions.” Kolb notes that his bill has yet to be posted online but he says it offers a number of changes that should encourage good government advocates.

Some Democratic critics say that Kolb is pushing the idea because he and Senate Republicans are in the minority and need a way to limit Democratic control of the legislature. But Kolb pointed to a slew of recent polling that shows an overall dissatisfaction with state government and support for reform.

Kolb said he does not expect much movement on his bill in the legislature until next year. The legislature would have to act by the end of session next year to get a convention on the ballot in the fall.

Kolb expects the upcoming fall session will likely be dominated by the budget but says he is in it for the long haul. “We’ve got till the end of session in June — that’s lots of time to drum up support and get people to sign the petition. It will take a little time but it will certainly be worth it.”