Constitutional convention clearly needed

By the Decatur Herald and Review Editorial Staff, June 19, 2007
(Reprinted with permission)

IT'S NOT too early for Illinois voters to start thinking about approving a state constitutional convention at the polls in November 2008.

The state asks voters every 20 years if they would like to hold a constitutional convention to consider changes to the state's top legal document. If the measure is approved in the 2008 election, the convention would be held in 2010 with delegates elected from districts to consider changes. The last time the measure went on the ballot, in 1998, it failed by a 3-1 margin.

At that time, almost every politically powerful group in the state - business leaders, organized labor leaders and elected officials - opposed the idea of holding a state constitutional convention.

It will be interesting to see their opinions in 2008. The chief proponent of the last try at a constitutional convention was Patrick Quinn, who is now the state's lieutenant governor. Although we question Quinn's stance on many issues, he was certainly a man ahead of his time in this debate. Quinn suggested that a constitutional convention be held to address giving voters the right to recall officeholders, reform property tax law, require election of Illinois Commerce Commission members and impose stronger ethics laws. Not all of those ideas are necessarily winners, but it's also interesting to note that none of those issues has been adequately addressed in the last 20 years.

It's clear that Illinois state government needs to be reformed. It's also clear that elected leaders do not have the willpower to impose any meaningful reforms. If they were going to do anything, they'd have done it in the last 20 years.

Here's an early list of issues that a constitutional convention could address:

• Enact meaningful ethics laws: There's no doubt Illinois has a well-earned reputation as the land of corruption. Stronger ethics laws for state officials would go a long way toward revising that reputation and cleaning up state government.

• Reduce the power of legislative leaders: As we've seen in this year's session, the leaders of the House and Senate have enormous power over which issues get addressed. That stranglehold on the legislative process needs to be reduced.

• Reform campaign finance: Illinois campaign finance laws are less stringent than the federal laws, and it allows special-interest groups to have an enormous hold over legislators. It's past time for campaign finance reform that at minimum mirrors the federal laws.

• Open up government: The state budget is often decided in an office and voted on before anyone - including legislators - has a chance to review it thoroughly. On all levels of government, Illinois has some of the weakest open meetings and open records laws. If Illinois residents want a government they can trust, they need to make government more open and transparent at all levels.

• Reform school funding: The current school funding system rewards districts in areas with high property values and penalizes those in poorer areas. That's unfair to schoolchildren, and the system needs serious reform.

There are plenty of other possible issues that a constitutional convention could address. We expect that political leaders will try to assure voters that changes in the constitution aren't necessary. But it's clear that our political leaders are not willing to address meaningful reform. If Illinois voters want a government they can trust, they will have a chance in November 2008 to set that process in motion.