30 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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Vote yes for constitutional convention
Th e mayoral contest and local City Council races may dominate the attention
and the ballot this November, but there is one thing about this election
that no voter should overlook.
Every 20 years, New York State voters are given a ballot question on whether
to call for a state constitutional convention. Th e last vote came in 1997, so
alas, it’s time once again for Empire State voters to answer such an important
question.
In the weeks leading up to Election Day, you’ll hear more about this referendum
from its supporters and detractors alike. But make no mistake — if
voters want to really change the way Albany operates on a colossal scale, this
is the perfect opportunity to do it.
People have become numb to dysfunction in Albany. It comes in many
forms: internal power struggles, public corruption charges, stalled government
reform eff orts, gerrymandering, the “three men in the room” that seemingly
make all the important decisions when it comes to state government.
Th e list goes on and on.
Much of the problem in Albany stems from a state constitution fi lled with
antiquated statutes that either make it diffi cult to modernize state government
and remedy problems, or give the status quo the protection needed to
preserve the dysfunction and mollify special interests that benefi t from it.
New Yorkers can use the constitutional convention as a way to reform state
government from the inside out, and make the Empire State the national,
progressive trendsetter it proclaims itself to be. But some, however, fear that
the convention will turn our state into something that doesn’t refl ect progressivism
or New York values as a whole.
Th ose fears are unfounded. Voting yes on this November’s amendment
merely sets into motion the constitutional convention process; it does not
nullify the laws already on the books. Th e people who vote yes or no on the
convention will be asked again to vote for constitutional delegates: 3 in each
of the state’s 63 senate districts, plus 15 at-large delegates. Th ose delegates will
then propose a brand-new constitution or a series of amendments that can
only be ratifi ed by the voters of New York in yet another ballot referendum.
In other words, New York voters who have the power to start a constitutional
convention also have the power to stop a convention’s proposals dead
in its tracks.
If we want our state government to work for us again — to guarantee equal
rights for women, to legalize marijuana, to institute term limits on state lawmakers,
to stop gerrymandering — then a constitutional convention is our
best hope at making it happen.
We urge you vote “Yes” for a Constitutional convention on Nov. 7.
STORY: These 3 Queens neighborhoods made the top 10 best places
to raise a family in NYC
SUMMARY: Two northeastern Queens neighborhoods and one in
western Queens made Streeteasy’s list of the top 10 neighborhoods
to raise a family citywide.
REACH: 19,164 people (as of 9/18/17)