I am a retired Municipal Manager here in suburban Philadelphia with over 40 years of service in local government. Every year on September 17th, we mark Constitution Day, the anniversary of the day farmers, lawyers, and tradesmen gathered in Philadelphia and signed a document that changed the world. But they didn’t just write a constitution. They built in the ability to update and strengthen it as our nation evolved.
Pennsylvania’s own constitution echoes that same spirit, declaring that “all power is inherent in the people” and that government exists for their “peace, safety, and happiness.” Since 1787, Americans have fought for and added twenty-seven amendments to the U.S. Constitution: abolishing slavery, winning voting rights for women, strengthening self-government one amendment at a time.
It’s time to do it again. Right now, unlimited outside money, including foreign-linked money, is flooding our elections and drowning out the voices of everyday Americans. Billionaires and secretive super PACs with no stake in our communities are shaping our future. This is happening because decades of Supreme Court decisions have stripped voters and our elected lawmakers of the ability to protect our elections.
Here’s why I’m hopeful: Americans get it, and we’re fighting back. Twenty-five states have already called for a constitutional amendment to restore the ability of Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on money in elections. Our Commonwealth should be the next. This movement didn’t start in Washington. It started in living rooms, township and borough halls, and in letters just like this one.
On Constitution Day, the best way to honor the Constitution is to strengthen it. Talk with your neighbors, contact your state legislators and urge them to help make this amendment a reality. Twenty-seven times before, ordinary citizens made it happen. We can do it again.
Paul A. Leonard
Maple Glen
