Caitlyn M. Gerardi '19
This fall, voters across New York State will be able to decide the fate of the Constitutional Convention, affectionately known as “Con Con”. What this means is that, if enough residents vote in favor of holding the Convention this fall, there will be an event, known as a Constitutional Convention, at which delegates (to be elected in 2018) will go over the current New York State Constitution and have the opportunity to amend, or change, it if need be.
This event has become controversial in both academic and labor circles, but one thing both sides of the debate agree upon: not enough of the state’s citizens are informed about what the Constitutional Convention is or that it is even being voted on this fall.
Siena College hosted an event that would give the community a chance to learn about the Convention. On September 25, Siena welcomed Gerald Benjamin, the Associate Vice President for Regional Engagement at SUNY New Paltz, and Arthur “Jerry” Kremer, Brooklyn Law School’s Chairman of Empire Government Strategies, to campus to debate the advantages and disadvantages of holding a Convention next year.
Benjamin’s argument in favor of the Con Con cited reasons such as the ability to revisit term limits for local politicians, the “extension of rights to those our current constitution is not helping”, and the protection of social rights such as abortion when defending the Constitutional Convention. Kremer, on the other hand, pointed out that many opponents to the Constitutional Convention are members of unions. These people are afraid of their pensions being altered by a Convention and of therefore having a low standard of living in retirement if the State Constitution is changed. He also said that the objections of Benjamin and others who wanted a Convention were “political objections, not objections to [the structure of the current Constitution]” and that the structure is what would really be altered at a Convention.
Both men strongly agreed, however, that voters are not nearly informed enough about Con Con, with Benjamin saying “it is our job to elevate [voter] turnout” on election day this year. Many citizens, according to event moderator Kylie Mason ’18, aren’t even aware that there is a state constitution. Siena College’s Research Institute polls have shown this to be the case, and that is why the College decided to host the event.
“Con Con is so important because it allows people to exercise their ability to make change when they feel like the legislature is not,” said Keshawn Langhorn ’18, “having an alternative means to the status quo is important and should not be something that is overlooked. Which is why I am shocked that people do not do more to understand and research this topic.”
This event was not about whether or not one wishes to vote for or against a Convention, but about educating people so they can be present and informed voters.
“We live in a turbulent time,” said Benjamin, “but if we always wait until [calm] times to act, we will never [create] reform.”
