There’s an adage that goes around legislative circles that “democracy works…not the way it’s supposed to, but it works.”
I thought of that during Monday night’s Common Council meeting, when the legislative process did work the way we would like it to... At issue was a resolution supporting immigrant rights in the City of Albany.
It’s important to note that that was never the intent of the resolution’s sponsor, Barbara Smith. In fact, she added a sentence to underscore that this resolution in no way encouraged people to live in Albany without the appropriate documentation. Practically speaking, once someone breaks the law, even for a traffic violation, their immigrant status becomes readily known. But public safety personnel also interact with crime victims and witnesses, as well as those in need of emergency medical care. That clause works to encourage those individuals to seek help or cooperate with an investigation.
Nonetheless, several Councilmembers were squeamish, and a fairly comprehensive discussion in caucus did little to assuage their concerns.
The Common Council opens its meetings with a public comment period. Several people spoke on the issue: a recent immigrant from the Congo; a political science professor from UAlbany; a
It seems a small thing on the surface. But in an age when political discourse pivots on hyperbole and polarization, it was significant. On the anniversary of the first moon walk, it was indeed a small step for the Common Council, but a giant leap for public discourse.