What might a people’s convention look like?  What subjects might it take up? What might it accomplish?Pending legislation now stalled in committee calls for a “people’s convention” made up of citizen delegates elected by the public–NOT of current officeholders, political hacks or lobbyists. This feature  helps keep the fox out of the henhouse.  Plus, it denies state legislators the chance to draw a double public salary (their legislative salary PLUS a delegate salary).  In 1997 the public voted against holding a convention for precisely this double-dip reason.   In 2017’s mandated public vote for or against a convention, it’s likely that delegates would again be career legislators. This must be avoided and is a key reason we must force through a People’s Convention. Assembly Bill A9157 gives us the best chance to do it. A People’s Constitutional Convention (ConCon) approved by the voters in November 2011 would start in Albany in April 2013.  Its delegates would be elected November  2012.  A total of 201 delegates would be elected–three from each of 62 senate districts and 15 at-large from around the state.The ConCon has no defined length of term.  Most observers expect it to run about three months and cost $20-30 million.  It would make its own rules and procedures and elect its own officers.  It can take up any subjects and at its conclusion offer to the public any amendments it chooses, even a shiny new constitution.  Proposed amendments would be submitted to the state’s Attorney General for an opinion on constitutionality before final submission to the people.  The state’s voters would then be asked in a timely manner to ratify or reject the ConCon’s work product–its proposed amendments, either one by one, in bundles, or in total (as the ConCon chooses to package its work product).

    Likely subjects for ConCon consideration (top ones in bold):

  1. State budget spending cap (limited to inflation rate for example)
  2. Property tax cap and/or “circuit breaker” (to help fixed income property owners)
  3. Term limits (to limit career politicians)
  4. Redistricting reform (to limit gerrymandering)
  5. The right of citizen initiative and referendum (with widespread support the public could propose laws for everyone to vote on)
  6. Legislative ethics reform (disclosures of income and contribution sources)
  7. Legislative rules reform (to limit the ability of legislative leaders to stall debate or voting on bills)
  8. A limit on state debt
  9. A limit on Public Authority debt; Authority reform (limit or reform the quasi-public bodies used to keep massive financial transactions and debt load “off” the state’s books)
  10. Instituting generally accepted accounting principles to estimate future budgets and to end budget shenanigans
  11. Educational reform
  12. Medicaid reform
  13. Prohibit elected officials from switching parties during their current term
  14. Public pension reform
  15. Public project bid reform (right now it greatly favors union workers)
  16. Public compensation reform (public employees are paid about 40% more than equivalent private sector workers)
  17. Lt. Governor succession (3 times in past 40 years we’ve been without a Lt. Governor)
  18. Judicial pay (base it on CPI not legislative largesse)
  19. Massively increase our generation capacity for low cost electricity ca

These are some of the major subjects that could be on a ConCon agenda.  Others will arise as special interests and good government groups weigh in.  The Governor or Legislature would create a Blue Panel commission to develop briefs (facts, data, problems, solution options) on key issues.  These briefs would educate delegates and help them discuss and debate issues.

An “open convention” run by ordinary citizens is scary to some.  But it’s exactly the kind of convention that created and guided this state in the first place.  In America, we rightly revere the sovereign will and the common sense of the people.  And don’t forget–the people get to vote on a) holding the convention in the first place; b) its delegates; c) its final output.  The voters get three bites at this particular apple and can put the brakes on whatever they don’t agree with. 

We should all be much more afraid of business as usual.