The state House of Representatives voted against it and Gov. John Bel Edwards said it\u2019s probably best to wait. But former Gov. Edwin Edwards told the Crowley Rotary that he\u2019s in favor of calling another constitutional convention as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
The remarks surprised some, given Edwin Edwards\u2019 lack of clarity on the issue previously, and his status as the political godfather of the current Constitution, which was ratified in 1974.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In an interview with LaPolitics, Edwards said, \u201cthe Constitution needs to be changed, given the status of the budget and financials today.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The former governor believes that statutory dedications in the Louisiana Constitution are among the largest obstacles delegates would face. \u201cWhen there is a mid-year deficit, the governor can only address higher education and health care and reduce their funds to balance the budget,\u201d he said. \u201cThat ought to be removed so he can look at all of the various budgets in order to balance the state budget.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Edwards said he favored a convention to rewrite the entire Constitution, not just parts of it, as the lead bill rejected by the House during the regular session would have done. \u201cI would prefer it if they looked at the whole document,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n What other issues need attention? Edwards mentioned the consolidation of the state\u2019s higher education boards, an idea he pushed during the 1973-74 Constitutional Convention. \u201cAt the time, I was advocating for one board over all colleges. But there was a great deal of opposition from the areas with local colleges, and I understood that.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Edwards, who first ran for governor promising a convention, predicted the candidates for the same job in 2019 will again make it a central talking point. \u201cIf I were running for governor,\u201d he said, \u201cI would definitely campaign on rewriting the Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n Constitutional Coalition 2020, a pro-convention group consisting of civic and business associations, lobbied lawmakers during this year\u2019s regular session to adopt a bill paving the way for a convention. It\u2019s expected to get involved in next year\u2019s legislative elections, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hewitt Mum About Future<\/strong><\/p>\n State Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, has been mentioned as a possible candidate for re-election as well as Senate president, secretary of state and governor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A first-term Republican from Slidell, Hewitt has chiseled a scrappy brand for herself in short order \u2014 partly on the shoulders of a terse and well-publicized exchange with Gov. John Bel Edwards during the year\u2019s first special session.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n She\u2019s an aggressive politico and has traveled far outside her Senate district to speak to Rotary clubs and chambers of commerce.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So what is Hewitt going to do? Is she running for statewide office?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTime will tell,\u201d she said when she was asked, offering a non-answer to a question that\u2019s pondered frequently in her absence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSen. Hewitt is doing everything that you should do if you are considering running for governor,\u201d said St. Tammany consultant James Hartman, who has managed a race against the senator. \u201cI think she would be a formidable candidate and a very effective chief executive for Louisiana.\u201d<\/p>\n Political History: The Fastest Legislative Adjournment Ever<\/strong><\/p>\n In the summer of 1959, every news outlet in Louisiana was filled with reports of the daily activities of then-Gov. Earl K. Long. Having just obtained a highly publicized release from a state mental hospital in Mandeville, Long made headlines for soon afterward cavorting with a Bourbon Street stripper, Blaze Starr, before embarking on a wild vacation in the western states.<\/p>\n According to historian Jack McGuire in his book Win the Race or Die Trying: Uncle Earl\u2019s Last Hurrah, Long had stayed in touch with legislators during his vacation, mailing his lawmakers everything from postcards to cases of cantaloupes. Some, like Sen. Sixty Rayburn of Bogalusa, even joined the governor for parts of his multi-week trip.<\/p>\n Long had been institutionalized during the regular session of the Legislature, which had become bogged down in a debate over voting rights and racial integration. Because the governor was out of pocket, many of his favored bills had been voted down or died in committee.<\/p>\n Returning to Louisiana refreshed, Long called a special session of the Legislature to enact a litany of bills that he wanted passed. Included in his call were routine measures about such matters as taxes, higher ed and local districts. Then there was a section asking for a review of the statutes about the involuntary commitment of a person to a mental institution.<\/p>\n Legislators, meanwhile, were tired of the governor\u2019s behavior and unenthusiastic about going into a special session with elections only a few months away. Gauging the mood of their members, Long\u2019s floor leaders tried to have him call off the session, but the governor ignored their pleas.<\/p>\n When lawmakers gaveled in at 5 pm on Aug. 10, they made quick work of the session.<\/p>\n The House\u2019s first order of business was to swear in a new member. As soon as that was done, another member, Rep. Ben Holt, moved to adjourn sine die. The motion passed easily and the Senate concurred within minutes, ending the shortest special session \u2014 about 10 minutes long \u2014 in Louisiana\u2019s history.<\/p>\n Gov. Long made his way over to the Senate chamber and addressed lawmakers as they headed home. Despite the rebuke of his special session, he made light of the situation, telling members, \u201cso you might say now that you have had an opportunity to see a crazy governor.\u201d<\/p>\n For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The state House of Representatives voted against it and Gov. John Bel Edwards said it\u2019s probably best to wait. But former Gov. Edwin Edwards told the Crowley Rotary that he\u2019s in favor of calling another constitutional convention as soon as possible. The remarks surprised some, given Edwin Edwards\u2019 lack of clarity on the issue previously, [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[63,32],"yoast_head":"\n