Sophomore political science and urban studies major Patrick Healy published a letter to the editor of The Buffalo News on March 26. The letter is a carefully-reasoned appeal to amend the New York State Constitution in a way that would strengthen the power of the Legislature and curb the power of the governor. Click here to read the article.
In the article, Healy calls on New York to transition from its current system, where the governor is directly elected by voters, to a European-style parliamentary system, where the chief executive is chosen by the legislative branch.
“This sounds undemocratic,” Healy writes, “but think about our system. One person controls nearly the entire executive branch, which just happens to be the strongest branch of government – especially in an emergency.”
Healy said Cuomo’s recent scandals, both personal and administrative, highlight a problem that’s long existed, that the office of governor is too powerful under our current system. The change would require amending the state constitution.
Healy’s letter began as an “op-ed” assignment for his COM 203: Writing for the Contemporary Media class.
Submitted by: Daniel Higgins, assistant professor, Communication
