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By Michael Seale
Home staff writer
March 21, 2003

   As the debate around reforming the Alabama Constitution of 1901 continues throughout the state, two local leaders introduced the issue to a new generation of potential voters.

   Pell City Mayor Guin Robinson and St. Clair County Commission Chairman Stan Batemon discussed the issue of constitutional reform with Pell City High School seniors Thursday morning.

   Kevin Garrison of the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform spoke first, explaining that the state’s constitution is more than 100 years old and was written by white men primarily for the purpose of disenfranchising blacks and poor white citizens.

   “The 1901 Constitution puts all of the power in Montgomery,” Garrison said. “And so much of it just doesn’t make sense.”

   Garrison read several different amendments pertaining to specific counties, such as an amendment in Whitehall that permits the residents of that town to play Bingo.

   Garrison also brought up Amendment 482, which allows people in Limestone County to dig up dead livestock if they want to.

   “Is this something our legislators need to be voting on? I don’t think so,” Garrison said.

   Robinson agreed with Garrison about the stripping of power from local government allowed by the state constitution.

   “It’s just not right that we have to go to Montgomery and beg for local bills to get passed,” Robinson said.

   Robinson said he remembered when the Pell City Board of Education decided it needed elected school board members, but the decision had to be made statewide instead of locally.

   “It passed by a huge margin here, but in other places it did not pass by the same margin,” Robinson said. “Imagine if it didn’t pass, and that was decided by people who live in some other county.”

   Robinson said he believes the power to make local decisions should lie in local government.

   “The philosophy needs to be changed. The city of Whitehall should be able to decide if they want to play Bingo, and Pell City should be able to decide if they want an elected school board.”

   Batemon explained to the students why the constitution has been so difficult to change.

   “Why is it so difficult to make this a simpler document? Because you are basically asking the people in Montgomery to give up their power,” Batemon said.

   Batemon read a provision in the Constitution of 1901 that protects lawmakers from being arrested while the Legislature is in session.

   “They are protected from getting even a traffic ticket while the Legislature is in session, and we are asking them to take that out of the constitution,”

   Batemon said. “That is why it is so hard to get this changed.”

   Batemon, who serves on Gov. Bob Riley’s Commission on Constitutional Reform, said the reform will come slowly.

   He said five issues will be addressed, one at a time: recompilation of the document, establishing a supermajority clause, line item veto power, taking away earmarking of funds and home rule.

   “You need to get the most out of your government,” Batemon told the students. “And with this document, you don’t get it.”

   When the presentation was completed, several students signed the side of the ACCR bus to show their support for a new constitution.

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