BAINBRIDGE – A group of several area groups who have organized an informative event focused on discussing the idea of an upstate New York succession will be meeting this Sunday at General Clinton Park in State Highway 7, just north of the Village of Bainbridge
The Secession Movement ­Rally will begin starting 1 p.m. and will take place rain or shine, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs to the event sponsored by several groups to discuss “where we are and where we need to be” as upstate New Yorkers.
“Secession is about reclaiming the economic opportunities that upstate has lost; and restoring the liberties that upstate residents once enjoyed,” read a release. “Downstate has dominated Upstate for decades and upstate has no future in a state controlled by New York City’s needs and desires.”
By all accounts, the primary focus of organizational meeting will be explanation of the two hypothetical options for upstate succession; in a nutshell: should upstate N.Y. Become part of Pennsylvania or form its own sovereign state.
According to secession advocate Aaron Price, “Article 4, Section 3, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution allows secession. To accomplish this option, the Legislature of New York, the Legislature of Pennsylvania, and the United States Congress would have to approve secession.”
“The second option being studied,” said Price, “is to have a small New York State government with two autonomous regions – upstate to be called New Amsterdam and downstate to be called New York.”
Price said that the latter option could be accomplished through legislative approval or through the New York State Constitutional Convention process.
Price indicated that in 2017, registered voters will vote on whether or not they want a constitutional convention in New York State.
But while localities in New York have periodically threatened secession throughout the state’s history – the only successful secession occurred in the 1800's when a territory now known as the state of Vermont seceded.
Politically speaking through the national scope, secession movements have proved to be a powerful motivator across the country in recent years, and rarely fall on deaf ears.
The event slated for Sunday continues a trend of recent succession movements in the southern tier region of upstate N.Y. that sprang up earlier in 2015 as 15 towns threatened to secede from the state and join neighboring Pennsylvania, where fracking is allowed – signaling a strong opposition to democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo’s decision to ban fracking statewide.
Those towns—all members of the Upstate New York Towns Association—expressed interest in secession, including Conklin Town Supervisor Jim Finch.
“We're in the Southern Tier of New York,” Finch said, referring to localities in Broome, Tioga, Sullivan and Delaware counties. “There are no jobs. The economy is terrible. There's nothing going on.”
While secession may sound like a long-shot the voices of the movement's leaders echoed in the halls of the State Senate earlier this year to the –then– Senate Deputy Majority Coalition Leader Tom Libous of Binghamton, who took the proposal very seriously. At the time, Libous' office went so far as to mail a survey to his constituents to poll wether or not they were interested in secession.
According to Price, representatives from following groups will have representatives at the rally: Americans for Restorinx the Constitution, Deposit Gas Group, Divide New York State Caucus Inc., FundamentalHumanRights.org, Landowner Advocates of New York Inc., New Yorkers United for Kids, NY2A, Oath Keepers, Red Dragon Inc., Sapbush Road Group, SCOPE, Tri–County Tea Party, Upstate New York Towns Association Inc., We the People of New York Inc.
Price encourages all area residents to come out on Sunday to the Secession Movement Rally. “Listen to our speakers and talk with representatives from various groups,” said Price. “By working together we can make upstate New York greater.”