Gov. Don Siegelman says he
supports constitutional reform, but so far he has not stepped forward
to fight for it, citing a lack of the grassroots support he believes
is needed.
Siegelman has said the movement to rewrite the constitution
needs to come from the masses, not Montgomery. In the meanwhile, his
senior adviser is listening for any groundswell of support for constitutional
reform, staffers say.
But listening is not enough. This administration needs
to lead.
As important as the support of the people may be for
an issue like constitutional reform, state lawmakers will consistently
talk about the importance of the governor's backing for major issues.
The governor alone cannot accomplish a rewrite of the
constitution. Past governors have tried and could not make it happen.
But a number of legislators and grassroots groups have expressed strong
support for reform. With the governor's support, reform could become
a reality.
Siegelman’s reluctance to embrace this or any task
of similar scope is understandable, given his experience with the
lottery vote. Siegelman made an education lottery his top priority
only to see it shot down.
However, Siegelman experienced more success in efforts
toward a much loftier goal - improving the operations of Alabama's
government through plans for the future and requiring more responsible
spending in state agencies.
As Siegelman took office, Governing Magazine published
a study giving the state an overall D grade for government, a dead-last
ranking among the 50 states. It is a score that can't get much worse.
The score tells us - and other states, business leaders,
etc. - that government in Alabama is poorly run. That perception,
and the real situation that created it, is something Siegelman is
working to change.
A strategic way to make that change is from the ground
level, starting with the document that forms the foundation for state
government.
Siegelman tempers his support of a constitutional convention
to rewrite the 1901 constitution, saying he has assurances it would
not result in a document that is unworkable.
When it comes to the state constitution, it is a bit
like those scores given to Alabama by Governing magazine - it couldn't
get much worse.
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Reprinted with Permission from The Gadsden Times.
