Daily Archive
Stories Posted on July 3, 2008
Group Seeks to Win Right to Petition
Category: Initiative and Referendum · State: Connecticut · Source: Connecticut Post
Connecticut's form of government should be changed to allow direct referendum and initiative similar to California, according to a new group that's pushing for the first constitutional convention since 1965. The Constitution Convention Campaign, during a news conference Thursday attended by several members of the General Assembly, wants Connecticut to vote "yes" this fall to the statewide ballot question "Shall the state Constitution be revised or amended?" It would be a first step toward possibly persuading lawmakers to adopt referendum and initiative, to allow voters to petition for new laws on everything from capping local property tax rates to prohibiting gay marriage, or even legalizing the medical use of marijuana. In reaction to the announcement, a leading Democratic lawmaker said Thursday that the agenda for a convention would be dictated by the General Assembly, and he doesn't believe Connecticut needs a complete rewriting of its constitution.
Port Commissioner's Lawyer Argues Details of Recall Petition
Category: Recall · State: Washington · Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Port of Seattle Commissioner Pat Davis' defense against a recall petition in front of the state Supreme Court may hinge on a technicality. K&L Gates partner Suzanne Thomas told the court that Davis' signature on an Oct. 10, 2006, memo to former port Chief Executive Mic Dinsmore, extending his salary for up to one year after he retired, "was not based on a gift of funds but rather a transition process to keep Dinsmore in office until a successor was found." Justice James Johnson asked Thomas the question that recall petitioner Chris Clifford -- a teacher from Renton with a strong streak of open-government activism -- has been waiting to test for more than a year. "Isn't the jury the public, so don't you make that argument to the voters, not the court?" Johnson asked.
One Citizen Initiative In Running for November Ballot
Category: Initiative and Referendum · State: Montana · Source: Montana's News Station
There were ten, but now it looks like only one citizen's initiative remains in the running for a spot on the November election ballot. Of three constitutional amendments proposed by citizens, none will be on the ballot. Those measures would have addressed property tax increases, the rights of the unborn, and citizen hunting and fishing rights. Meanwhile, statutory initiatives dealing with specialized lotteries for wildlife, hunting and fish access rights, and home health care, all have been withdrawn.
Shut the Spigots on Selling Out State Water
Category: Environment · State: Michigan · Source: Detroit Free Press
If you're not in favor of commercializing the Great Lakes, you won't be pleased by the water policy Michigan's Legislature has just enacted. The PR campaign would have you believe that the new laws are a giant breakthrough in the protection of Michigan and Great Lakes water. The reality: While the laws contain some worthwhile features, they establish a state policy that the water in Michigan's lakes and streams and springs can be sold; that our water can be exported in any volume as long as it goes out in containers of 20 liters or less; that up to 25% of any Michigan river or stream can be legally consumed by water exporters and others; and that groundwater, which supplies up to 50% of the flow to the rivers and Great Lakes that we enjoy for fishing, boating, swimming and drinking, is not protected by a public trust standard.
Pro-Rail Opponents of Voter Initiative are 'Enemies of Democracy' in Hawaii
Category: Transportation · State: Hawaii · Source: Hawaii Reporter
Referring to opponents of voter initiative on the rail project as “enemies of democracy,” Stop Rail Now’s volunteer campaign manager Eric Ryan lashed out at high-ranking members of the local political scene for attempting to thwart the will of Oahu voters by intentionally undermining the petition process. In response to rail supporter State House Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell’s statement in Sunday’s edition of The Honolulu Advertiser, who said “Now is the time to fight the ballot initiative. A vote on rail could signal the death knell for the project”, Ryan accused Caldwell of intentionally turning a deaf ear to voters from Waimanalo to Manoa to Waianae. Ryan said, “These voters and taxpayers have rights under the City Charter and they are determined to exercise those rights because, even after all the lies told by the Hannemann administration, voters can see right through the get-rich-quick scheme that the rail project clearly is.”