State constitution needs change
Decatur Daily
By Mark Ray
7/19/09
Decatur Daily Op-Ed

Anyone who has followed our local jail inmate feeding debacle in recent months, or has traveled to one's local ballot box only to be confronted with a list of proposed amendments having nothing to do with Morgan, Limestone or Lawrence County is surely aware that something is wrong with the way government functions in Alabama.

Much of that "something" can be traced to our antiquated 1901 state constitution, a document that was undisputedly designed to keep legislative power centralized in the hands of a few wealthy landowners, mostly in South Alabama. Whether it is the crippling poverty of our state's impoverished Black Belt, public school funding issues, or the growing blight of urban sprawl, the same mind-set which birthed Alabama's 1901 constitution continues to hamper us.

Recently, I had the privilege of representing our local legislative district at a mock constitutional convention held on two separate weekends in Prattville and at the statehouse in Montgomery.

Sponsored by Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform (www.constitutionalreform.org), the event was co-convened by our own Albert Brewer, a former governor and tireless champion of this worthy cause, along with the late Tom Corts of Samford University. It was my honor to have been among Dr. Corts' first graduating class as president of Samford, and in the years since I have listened to and admired his enthusiastic appeals for Alabama to be the best it can be.

Throughout both weekends of the convention, I was impressed with both the range of diversity as well as the overall quality of participants. Among our fellow delegates was Tom Heflin of Tuscumbia, son of former Sen. Howell Heflin; conservative Huntsville political blogger Brian LeCompte of Flashpointblog.com; and Birmingham community activist Carolyn McKinstry, a survivor of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963. Others less-known included college students, retirees and blue-collar laborers from across the state. In my own workgroup, a twenty-something Obama enthusiast worked alongside a veteran Republican activist now in his 70s, who entertained us with tales of when his state party consisted of himself, Guy Hunt and "a few others who gathered in a phone booth."

The official unveiling of our finished product will take place in August at Constitution Village in Huntsville. I use the term "finished" loosely, because additional input is welcomed and encouraged. To be sure, there will be healthy skepticism and even outright resistance from some quarters. People want to be assured that restructuring Alabama's constitution to ensure tax "fairness" does not automatically mean tax "increase."

Crucial to this process being successful is for the wide range of Alabama's citizen voices to know they have a place at the table of dialogue. I'm confident that this goal is gradually being achieved, that any hurdles can be overcome, and that with each passing day we are finally moving closer to greater local control of our collective destiny vs. allowing power to remain concentrated in Montgomery.

Until then, let there be no mistake: Meaningful, fair and authentic constitutional reform remains Alabama's best chance for moving forward into the 21st century. Our challenges are enormous, but the resilience of our state's good people remains far stronger. Mark Ray is a former member of the Decatur City Council. He may be reached at 353-1711.

« back

© 2010
Post Office Box 10746
Birmingham, AL 35202-0746