Municipalities could have plenty at stake with the upcoming vote on a New York Constitutional Convention. On November 7, 2017, voters will have the chance to decide whether they support the review of, and potential changes to, the state constitution originally written in 1777. Since New York does not have an initiative-and-referendum process as some states do, this is one of the few times voters can have a direct say on changing New York laws. The last Constitutional Convention was held in 1967 from April to September. It ended with voters rejecting every proposed change.
There are many ways a “yes” vote to changing the constitution could impact municipalities, and all New Yorkers, as mapped out in our August 15, 2017 muniblog. Judge Victoria Graffeo, longtime appellate jurist in New York state and partner with Harris Beach explains – some of the arguments both for and against having a con con.
