League of Women Voters of Cazenovia to sponsor lecture Jan. 21 on constitutional convention

On Nov. 7, 2017, New York State voters will find on their ballots the Constitutionally mandated question, ”Shall there be a convention to revise the constitution and amend the same?” (N.Y. Const., Art XIX, sec 2)

Although this question appears every 20 years, in only nine instances in New York state history have we convened a Convention to consider how the State Constitution might be altered, potentially changing how government in Albany works.

Recognizing the importance of this opportunity, the Rockefeller Institute, the Government Law Center at Albany Law School, the League of Women Voters of New York State, and the Siena Research Institute have joined forces, often with partner organizations from around the state, to try to ensure that each of New York’s voters may go to vote with a clearer sense of what a Constitutional Convention could achieve.

The League of Women Voters of Cazenovia will sponsor an informational lecture by Dr. Henrik N. Dullea, a former member of the SUNY Board of Trustees, who has a long history in higher education and government administration. Dullea received his Ph.D. in political science from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. He is the author of Charter Revision in the Empire State: The Politics of New York’s 1967 Constitutional Convention and co-editor of Decision 1997: Constitutional Change in New York.

The lecture will be held Jan. 21 at 10:30 a.m. in the Community Room of the Cazenovia Public Library, 100 Albany St. The public is invited to attend, learn about this important issue, and ask questions of the speaker.

The website of the League of Women Voters of New York State, www.lwvny.org, has background information on the Constitutional Convention with many useful links. This is a complicated issue, and we hope to be informed and confident voters by Election Day Nov. 7, 2017.