Editorial
January 10, 2002
Almost lost in news swirling around
Gov. Don Siegelman’s call for a vote on a constitutional convention
during his “State of the State” address to the Alabama Legislature
Tuesday, was Lt. Gov. Steve Windom’s own ideas on the subject.
Windom, who is running for the Republican gubernatorial
nomination this year even as Siegelman seeks re-election as a Democrat,
said while he favors a convention, he doesn’t think legislation
authorizing one can be passed in this election year.
Instead, he says he wants the Legislature to pass two
measures, both constitutional amendments, bringing “limited home
rule” to the state’s 67 counties.
One measure would change the way property tax increases,
which are used to pay for education, are voted on by taking the Legislature
out of the loop and allowing school boards to go directly to their
local county commission to ask for tax referendums.
The other proposed constitutional amendment would allow
county commissions to decide issues – other than the key issues
of taxing, planning or zoning – on their own, without going to
the Legislature for permission.
Although Windom’s proposals are limited, they are
a step in the right direction toward home rule.
The irony is that if approved, they would become two
more patches on the nation’s most amended constitution. If Windom
and others are serious about reform, they should quit trying to mend
the antiquated document and wholeheartedly embrace the creation of
a new constitution for Alabama.
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