By p.biancaniello
NYS Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick’s advice to Commack Community Association members is do your research, and if you truly want to see campaign finance reform or term limits, you need to vote yes for a NYS Constitution Convention when you vote on November 7th.
NYS Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick speaking to members of the Commack Community Association about the proposed NYS Constitution ConventionFitzpatrick advised the audience that there has been much misleading information being presented which he blamed on unions and special interest several times he repeated the phrase “pensions will not be touched”. The Assemblyman suggested people do research and he mentioned specific sites including the League of Women Voters, Newsday’s editorial Myths and realities of a NYS Constitution Convention, and Rockefeller institute citizens guide by Jim Malatras. For an opposing perspective he recommended Jerry Kremmer’s Patronage, Waste and Favoritism Guide.
Fitzpatrick acknowledged that his yes vote puts him in a minority as polls indicate a majority of voters plan to vote no. He was peppered with questions about how much a constitution convention would cost. The actual cost of the last convention in 1967 was $7.5million* a 2018 convention could cost taxpayers somewhere in the range of $50 - $75 million. A price Fitzpatrick is willing to pay for the opportunity to update the NYS Constitution, bypass the (at times obstructionist) legislature and enact real changes to campaign finance, term limits and ethics. If New Yorkers approve the proposal every word in the constitution is subject to change.
There are three proposals on the November 7th ballot.
Proposal one - Shall there be a convention to revise the Constitution and amend the same? “The New York State Constitution requires that every 20 years the people decide if a Constitutional Convention should be held to consider amendments to the State Constitution. The purpose of this Ballot Question is to allow the voters of New York State to determine whether a Constitutional Convention will be held according to the procedure provided by the State Constitution.” League of Women Voters
Proposal two - AN AMENDMENT Allowing the Complete or Partial Forfeiture of a Public Officer’s Pension if He or She is Convicted of a Certain Type of Felony. “The proposed amendment to section 7 of Article 2 of the State Constitution would allow a court to reduce or revoke the pension of a public officer who is convicted of a felony that has a direct and actual relationship to the performance of the public officer’s duties.” League of Women Voters
Proposal three - An Amendment Authorizing the Use of Forest Preserve Land for Specified Purposes. “The proposed amendment will create a land account with up to 250 acres of forest preserve land eligible for use by towns, villages, and counties that have no viable alternative to using forest preserve land to address specific public health and safety concerns; as a substitute for the land removed from the forest preserve, another 250 acres of land, will be added to the forest preserve, subject to legislative approval. The proposed amendment also will allow bicycle trails and certain public utility lines to be located within the width of specified highways that cross the forest preserve while minimizing removal of trees and vegetation.” League of Women Voters
After explaining the three proposals Assemblyman Fitzpatrick encouraged everyone present to vote.**
**Edited to reflect that Assemblyman Fitzpatrick was discussing his vote and was suggesting people educate themselves not telling them how to vote.
* The 1967 convention cost was $7.5 million the $37 million figure was the calculation by Gerald Benjamin of what the $7.5 million would be in 2015 dollars (from a media workshop given for the press on the con-con in 2015). The Rockefeller Institute document contributors are using an estimate of from $50-75 million.