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By Jeff Amy
Capital Bureau
January 9, 2002

MONTGOMERY — Gov. Don Siegelman, continuing to identify a rewrite of the state constitution as the solution to Alabama’s chronic school funding woes, called Tuesday night for the Legislature to let voters call a constitutional convention in November.

   “I will fight to let the people vote on whether they want a constitutional convention,” Siegelman said. “I will fight so the people can make their own decisions about education in their own local communities. And I will fight so that the people don’t have to bow and scrape to the special interests here in Montgomery.”

   The governor’s 25-minute State of the State address, televised statewide, capped the first day of the 2002 regular lawmaking session. Siegelman’s fourth rendition of the annual address also rolled out his campaign for re-election in the eyes of many observers. Seven candidates have announced their intention to run against Siegelman — three Republicans, one Democrat, one Libertarian, one independent, and one who will run either as a Republican or an independent.

   “It was indeed launching a campaign, which just about every governor does in the fourth year,” said Wayne Flynt, an Auburn University professor and well-known state historian. He described Siegelman’s speech as a return to his liberal Democratic roots, “a classic kind of populist appeal to his natural constituency.”

   The governor renewed his criticism of the $68.5 million tele phone tax passed in a December special session over his objections to fill part of a $160 million gap in education funding. He did not directly ask the Legislature to reconsider the bill, but attacked “special interests” throughout his speech as the stumbling block holding Alabama back from educational improvements and a new constitution.

   “It’s time we end the special interest domination that has ruled our state and held us back for a hundred years,” Siegelman said.

   The governor used more than half the speech, as he earlier had indicated he would, to review his record.
   Siegelman adopted as his own four ideas previously proposed by Republicans — a prescription drug program for senior citizens, protections for those serving in the National Guard, the death penalty for terrorist acts, and allowing localities to vote on raising school taxes without permission from the Legislature.

   “He’s adopted a lot of our ideas,” said Rep. Jeanette Greene, R-Saraland. “If he’ll work with us, that will be great.”

   The governor also renewed calls for some items that have failed earlier in his administration, including crime bills and a college scholarship program, although he gave no indication how he would pay for that last item.

   “I thought it was a full plate he ordered,” said Rep. Jeff Dolbare, D-Bigbee.

   The 50 or so lawmakers present seemed warm to some of the governor’s proposals, but reserved their only standing ovation for Siegelman’s praise of Alabama National Guard troops serving in the war against terrorism. There are a total of 140 House and Senate members.

   Rumors had circulated in Montgomery that Siegelman would use the address to laser in on appeals for changes to the Alabama Constitution.

   The governor had been cool to constitutional reform until last spring when, in the face of more than $260 million in school budget cuts, he took up the reform banner. Since then, he has often blamed the funding woes on the state’s constitution. Even then, Siegelman had said major changes would have to wait until after his re-election this year, a position that went by the wayside Tuesday night. Now, the governor wants voters to decide in the November election whether such a convention will take place.

   “In its own way, it’s as bold as his advocacy of a lottery,” Flynt said, referring to the lottery referendum voters rejected in 1999.

   But others aren’t sure a rewrite would ease the state’s problems as Siegelman claims.

   “The governor makes a constitutional convention sound like it would solve everything,” said Sen. Albert Lipscomb, R-Magnolia Springs.

   Goat Hill political lore predicts that little of substance gets done in the regular session during an election year. Lawmakers say that militates against the adoption of Siegelman’s call for a convention.

   “You know this is an election year, a campaign year,” said Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham. “Who’s going to vote for that?”

   House Democrats have been trying to rewrite the state’s government charter article by article, arguing in part that it would allow them to isolate and defeat those who oppose change one by one. Many lawmakers claim a convention election would be bought by selfish forces with their own private aims in mind.

   “There is no amount of money they wouldn’t spend to dominate a constitutional convention,” said. Rep. Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn.

   Siegelman also rolled out a smaller constitutional proposal, which would allow local school districts to put tax referendums on the ballot without an act of the Legislature. Lt. Gov. Steve Windom had proposed such a measure Monday to the Mobile Register editorial board. Voters would also decide on that amendment in November, according to Siegelman’s plan.

   “Our outdated constitution forces local communities, to come to Montgomery, with hat in hand, to beg the Legislature and to beg the special interests just to have the right to vote on whether they can make changes in their local schools,” the governor said.

   In his past three State of the State speeches, Siegelman focused first on education, and to a lesser extent on fighting crime. He made an average of 24 policy proposals in each of those speeches. Of those, about 14 on average dealt with education, and about six on average dealt with crime. Tuesday night, Siegelman made 12 new proposals, with only the two constitutional changes dealing with education. Five of the governor’s proposals toughened criminal penalties.

   “If you’re in a non-growth economy and you’re not going to raise taxes, you don’t need to insult people’s intelligence by proposing new programs,” Flynt said.

   Siegelman did propose one potentially costly initiative, a prescription drug program for senior citizens. The state Medicaid agency will enter into rebate agreements with manufacturers to save money, using the savings to pay for drugs for poorer seniors. The state will also pool the purchasing of drugs by all state agencies to cut expenses.

   For the fourth year in a row, Siegelman called for higher penalties for domestic violence and for the death penalty for anyone who repeatedly sexually assaults children.

  Siegelman also called for protections for National Guard soldiers. That last initiative was sponsored in part by Sen. George Callahan, R-Theodore, during the December special session, but died on the last day.

   Callahan said after the speech that he didn’t know the governor would adopt the idea. He confirmed with National Guard chief Mike Sumrall that the governor’s proposal was nearly identical to his.

(Capital Bureau Reporter Sallie Owen contributed to this report.)

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