Jim Bennett, Secretary of State
January 30, 2002
Well, thank you Dr. Corts. Those kind remarks are
greatly appreciated.
Alabama stands at a crossroads. One road leads to a dead
end. The other to a bright new tomorrow.
I chose the second course and in this journey I
have many fellow travelers.
If we are to ever compete with other states in the South
and indeed across the nation, we must take off the shackles that bind
us to government inefficiency, to domination by special interests
and lack of confidence in our own citizens.
Simply put, we have a horse and buggy constitution in
the space age that speaks more to the excesses of carpetbaggers than
delivering modern day services.
Certainly, there is no single action that would mark
a greater change in direction than to give Alabama a new constitution,
a new guidebook for government that reconnects with the people it
purports to serve.
To this end I have a deep and abiding commitment. I accept
the challenge before me with confidence and resolve and the dedication
to see it through.
Although I have a number of political options before
me, after 25 years in elective office I chose the higher purpose of
making a more lasting contribution to how government will operate
in Alabama in the new century.
Alabama’s future is tied to what we do here and
the resolve we have to make life better for our children and our grandchildren
and ourselves.
To that end, I will forego personal political pursuits
this year to help lay the groundwork for constitutional change and
eagerly look forward to the task ahead.
There is much work to be done to lay the groundwork for
Alabama’s first constitutional convention in over 100 years.
A constitutional convention – and we have already
had six of them in our state’s history – would be a grand
experiment in democracy. Done correctly, it could help restore the
people’s confidence in their government, their institutions and
their elected leadership.
I do not fear a participatory convention…of delegates
drawn from the ranks of average citizens, working men and women from
all over Alabama, who come together to make a profound difference.
Who could say the people should not decide their own
destiny as a state? The people’s voice should be heard loud and
clear. This movement will not succeed without that involvement.
In this endeavor, our Citizen’s Commission for Constitutional
Reform will begin the preparatory work necessary for the calling of
a convention.
It will look at the best practices among all the states
for home rule, for government efficiency and for cutting waste and
duplication. It will examine those models already proven to work that
attract new jobs and provide better schools.
It will seek to de-mystify the process and open the door
to involvement of everyday citizens. In this debate will not only
ask why but why not.
Our report to the convention will lay out the choices.
The delegates will make their own decisions.
We will do this in a series of town meetings all across the state
where every Alabamian who chooses to do so will be heard, both those
who favor change and those who still have questions.
This debate should be inclusive. We invite public participation,
we should follow the people’s lead.
There is no greater task before us.
I say to the Alabama Legislature, let the people decide
if they want to convene a convention for a new constitution. It would
be the most significant thing you could do in the final year of your
term.
Certainly, our 1901 Constitution, the longest in the
entire nation, is broken and needs fixing.
Any constitution that is so restrictive and so full of
prohibitions that it has had to be amended 707 times needs changing.
707 may be a good number for an airplane but a constitution
with that many amendments just won’t fly.
During the days ahead we will outline our dream for the future which
we hope all Alabamians will share.
I thank you for your kind attention and, Dr. Corts, I
thank you for ACCR’s confidence in me to get the job done.
God bless our great state.
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