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Opinion January 23, 2002 The Montgomery City Council, which for the past several years has wanted to let citizens order a draft beer if they wished, has given up. Blame Alabama’s archaic constitution and Montgomery County’s legislative delegation. Although city council members are elected by local voters to oversee local government, some purely local matters — such as authorizing the sale of draft beer in the city — require approval by the state Legislature. As a practical matter, the Legislature goes along with the legislative delegation that represents an area where local bills are concerned. So when it comes to such matters as approv ing draft beer, Mont gomery County’s legisla tive delegation becomes for all practical purpos es a super city council. A unanimous vote by the city council can be derailed by legislators whose districts may include only part of the city. Councilman PE “Pep” Pilgreen was obviously frustrated by the cumbersome process when he declared last week that seeking local legislation to legalize draft beer is a waste of time. “I’ve got better things to do than go around begging them (local legislators) to do something they’re not going to do anyway.” The city council shouldn’t have to be begging legislators for the authority to handle purely local issues. Those decisions should be up to the city council members and the citizens who elect them. The situation won’t change, though, until Alabama’s creaky constitution is overhauled. Return to: Editorial Index |
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Citizens for Constitutional Reform Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 34 Montgomery, Alabama 36101-0034 E-mail: accr@constitutionalreform.org |
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