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September 20, 2001

The Honorable Don Siegelman
Governor of Alabama
State Capitol
Room N-104
600 Dexter Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36130

Dear Governor Siegelman:

   The Presbytery of North Alabama is a governing body of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and is composed of 34 churches with a combined membership of about 6000 people. The geographic boundaries of the Presbytery include the twelve northernmost counties of Alabama, stretching from Georgia to Mississippi.

    From the days of the American Revolution, which was sometimes referred to in England as the “Presbyterian rebellion”. Presbyterians have a long history of seeking fairness and justice for all people. Motivated by the principles of our theological confessions, Presbyterians seek to live in a way that is sensitive to God’s mandate that we be responsible stewards of all of creation.

   Impelled by our tradition and by our present concern for the people of Alabama, at our most recent meeting on July 17, 2001, the Presbytery of North Alabama voted to encourage you and members of the legislature to call for the election of a convention to write a new constitution for our state.

   We believe a new constitution to be warranted in that, due to its concentration of power in the state capital, the current constitution is unwieldy and tends to inhibit growth and local initiative, as witnessed by the necessity of over 700 amendments to date. The current constitution also perpetuates a tax system that is inequitable in its discrimination against the poor of this state and has the practical result of providing insufficient funding for services essential to progress for our people.

   In taking this action, our Presbytery joins with other concerned Christians. Some have spoken through the Council of Priests of the Archdiocese of Mobile, who have taken a similar position seeking a new, equitable constitution for the betterment of the people of Alabama in the 21st Century. Others, moreover, as to the specific issue of tax reform, have issued similar admonitions for change through the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley, the Alabama Baptist State Convention, the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, the Alabama United Methodists. We believe there is also widespread support among all the citizens of this state.

   We seek your earnest consideration.Very truly yours,

William G. Cockrill
Pastor
First Presbyterian Church
Huntsville, Alabama
for the Presbytery

CC: Legislative Delegations for the Counties of Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, and Morgan
Ecclesiastical bodies

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