Letters to the Editor

Let's fix Beacon Hill

Support Ballot Question to fix Beacon Hill

Representative Matthew C. Patrick, Falmouth, 3rd. Barnstable District

Today the Massachusetts legislature is not a democratic institution. The birth place of western democracy in the new world is governed by a legislature that is a dictatorship masquerading as a democratic institution. Through the centuries, the position of Massachusetts Speaker of the House has evolved into an imperial one, more akin to royalty than the leader of a democratic body. The Speaker of the House determines everything. He decides which bills are brought to the floor for a debate and which ones will never see the light of day. He determines the outcome of those bills before they are even debated.

If you cross the Speaker by not voting for him for example, he can hold up even the most minor of home rule petitions that are necessary for the municipalities in your district to function. If you have a bill that can solve a problem or benefit the commonwealth you had better convince the Speaker if you ever want it to pass. Because of this fact, bills don't often pass on their merit. Bills pass because it benefits the Speaker's agenda or there is an emergency in the Commonwealth.

Along with the legislative agenda, the Speaker controls everything in the House. He controls all appointments from powerful Ways and Means Chair and Majority Leader to all committee chairs and vice chairs some of which receive extra salary. He gives each member his committee assignments. He also controls all of the staff. He even determines who gets help with their re-election campaign.

When you are elected into the Massachusetts House, you are told over and over again that you always protect the institution. That tradition accounts for the reticence among members to speak any ill of what goes on in the House. However, that "speak no ill of the House" tradition only perpetuates the dictatorship, its human pecking order and our large dysfunctional family.

I don't want to leave you with the wrong impression. The people in the legislature are some of the best people I have ever met. In spite of the public perceptions, the vast majority are honest and considerate to a fault. They want to help people. They want to make the Commonwealth a better place to live, work and raise a family. But when you get into the House, you unknowingly become consumed in the fight for position

You gamble by promoting a likely Speaker candidate and you lick your wounds if you lose for many terms before you have a chance for another "Speaker's fight" where you can bet it all again on a candidate. If your candidate wins, everything is great. You rise to the top and get a juicy appointment, the nice office, more staff and the Speaker's ear. If you lose, well, you lose big time.

The present Speaker is a good man although abuses made possible by complete power are still occurring under his authority. Some members think that if you get a good Speaker who is fair, everything will work out. Under the present system, in the best of circumstances, you can have a benevolent dictator. A democratic institution should not rely on one man's benevolence. Passage of good legislation should not be solely determined by the sponsor's relationships with leadership.

How can we change it? It will take an engaged electorate to make it happen. We need voters to demand that their Representatives endorse this ballot question that will require a secret ballot for Speaker and give committee appointments back to the membership. You can help by learning more at www.fixbeaconhill.com downloading a petition and getting signatures from registered voters.

It's in your hands now, the electorate. Upon reading this, you will have the power to bring democracy back to the Massachusetts Legislature. Call or write your state legislators and ask them to support this proposed amendment to the Commonwealth's Constitution.