Guest Commentary: Brendan J. Tully

On July 10, 1776, New York held its first constitutional convention, right here in Westchester County.  The constitution that was drafted there created a government that addressed the needs and realities of that time. Our legislative process was born out of 18th century necessities, so it was developed to help and protect New York's families and communities from the problems of that era. 

This was a great moment in the history of our state, but it is time to revisit what led us to the moment in the first place. Today, 234 years later, we face a much different world, with new industry, new technology and new economic concerns.  Our society has evolved greatly over the years, and unfortunately our state government has not. It's time for Albany to catch up. Our legislative process is outdated in many ways, and ill-equipped to address the problems of the 21st century. That is why we need a head-to-toe restructuring of how Albany works if we want to fix our state government.

We deserve a government that can work together to overcome the problems our families face today, in an effective and efficient way. Instead, we have a slow moving and bloated bureaucracy, a budget process that doesn't work, crippling state debt, and a feeling that our state government is oblivious to the problems that face our communities now. 

We need to redesign our state government, restructure the state budget process and make our state government relevant in today's world. We deserve an updated state government, and we have a chance to get it. In New York, we have some of the smartest, most innovative, and hardest working people in the world, and by working together, we can create a better government. We just need the opportunity to try. That's why we need a new State constitutional convention, which I'll propose on my first day in Albany.

The Background

Our current state constitution has not changed substantially since 1938, when we had the last successful state constitutional convention. The state constitution includes provisions for the size of the state's bureaucracy, how we craft the state budget, how and why our state can borrow money, and how we draw our legislative districts.

Each one of these areas needs to be reformed. A new state constitutional convention will give us the chance to start over in a way that cannot be accomplished through the normal legislative process. Unfortunately, by law, we won't have the chance for a constitutional convention until 2017. I don't think that we can wait that long. The legislature needs to call for a constitutional convention immediately.

The Plan

We need to update our state government. I am not alone in calling for a constitutional convention. There are Democrats and Republicans who agree in principal that we need a constitutional convention; however they have not been able to get past their differences and make it happen. We have to put aside the issues that divide us and focus on what we agree on and can get done. As your State Assemblyman, I will work with both sides of the aisle to get a bill for a constitutional convention referendum passed. 

There are many reforms that can be implemented at a constitutional convention.  However, I believe that we need to focus on the following:

1. Streamline and reorganize the state's bureaucracy
2. Reform the budget process to make it more transparent, efficient, and focused on results rather than politics
3. Reform how the State borrows money and cap our state's debt.

By having a constitutional convention, we can create a better state government that is relevant in today's world.  The constitutional convention is the best process to make the changes we need in the large-scale way that is necessary.

We deserve a state government that is as hard working, honest, efficient, and innovative as our citizens. This is our chance to come together and build that type of government, but it cannot become a reality if we do not elect leaders who understand the laws, or who are not willing to reach across the aisle for the good of everyone.  It is not enough to say that we need to fix Albany; we need to embrace new ideas and work together to change it. 

Editor's Note: Brendan J. Tully is the Democratic Candidate for the 99th Assembly District. He can be reached at bjtully@gmail.com.