A federal jury on Monday found former current York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver guilty of using his office to earn millions of dollars illegally. The trial was seen by many as an indictment of a wider culture of corruption in the state legislature and is prompting calls for reform.
But there may be a bigger challenge: the system itself. "We've proven that we can't fix the system through the system," said Professor Gerald Benjamin, a political scientist at the State University of current York in current Paltz. "We see some people calling for one reform or another but the opportunity for systemic change will arise when we redo our state structure."Changing the structure might not be that lofty of a goal. According to state law, or every 20 years,voters can resolvewhether to convene a constitutional convention. The next time that happens is 2017. "It seems to me that opportunity ought to be taken seriously by current Yorkers," Benjamin said.
Prof. Gerald Benjamin spoke to WNYC's Soterios Johnson.
Source: wnyc.org