A number of local groups came out against a constitutional convention yesterday.

Representatives with the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, the League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria, the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the Labor Council of West Central Illinois gathered Monday at Peoria City Hall to voice their disapproval with a referendum they claim will only exacerbate problems in the state.

“We believe it’s inappropriate, unpredictable and expensive,” League President Mary Jane Crowell said.

Their basic premise is that there’s nothing wrong with the state’s constitution. Rather, the problems in the state house are the result of bad behavior by our elected representatives. All we need to do is elect different (better) people and Springfield will be fixed. If anyone has a problem with the constitution, they should work on amending it, rather than rewriting it.

The pro-constitutional-convention website Yes for Illinois counters this argument:

Some “No” proponents argue that we can improve the state through “better leadership”. That’s fine on paper, but it reminds us of all the “guaranteed rights” in the Soviet Constitution. You can talk about better leadership, but how will we ever get better leaders.

It is our position…that while there are many good people in Illinois who could do a better job than their current legislators, they have precious little chance of getting elected, given Illinois gamed system of election laws and ballot access hoops….

This can’t be fixed by “electing better people” for one very simple reason. “Better people” are locked out of this system. ONLY dynamic changes of the kind brought about by a Constitutional Convention offers the opportunity to bring “better people” into the process.

A good example of that is how the legislative districts are drawn. Take a look at this political map:

This is textbook gerrymandering. Legislators are picking their voters instead of the other way around. So, what incentive is there for an elected representative to fight for a redrawing of a legislative district that he or she won? The system is fundamentally broken, which is why a constitutional convention is critical.

A “no” vote is a vote for the status quo. And we know the status quo isn’t working.