For Kaua‘i citizens who have not availed themselves of the absentee voter privilege, today is the day for selecting your choices for who will serve the next two years as mayor and those who are to be members of our County Council.
It is an unfortunate commentary that many of us will not vote and many others will not have thoughtfully considered the merits of the candidates who are presenting themselves for election. It is aptly said that people deserve the government they get, and when elections are won with the votes of the minority who are activists rather than the broader spectrum of us who should be casting ballots our community is disserved. In the 2006 primary election, of the 37,838 registered voters only 17,379 voted, which is a disappointing 45.9 percent. Of the 17,379 voting, 7,227 did so by absentee ballot.
The primary election will reduce the field of candidates for a council seat from 22 to 14, and unless a single candidate for mayor obtains more than 50 percent of the vote will reduce the candidates for that office from four to two. The General Election will be held on Nov. 4, the date of the election for federal and state offices, and at this election the seven council members and the mayor will be chosen. The General Election will also include six proposed Kauai County Charter amendments, each of which will require a favorable vote of a majority of the votes cast on the measure for adoption. Three of the proposed amendments arise from the Charter Review Commission, two of them were proposed by the County Council and one is a measure from citizen petitions. I will offer my views on them in a future column.
The Garden Island has offered all council candidates the opportunity to provide the electorate with statements of the candidates’ qualifications and vision for the activities they will pursue if elected. A number of other organizations have sponsored debates at which candidates can express their views. And the candidates themselves have engaged in electioneering so that voters will have a better basis on which to make their voting decisions.
Twenty two candidates are seeking the seven seats on the County Council. For those who are not now serving, voters will necessarily make their decision on what they see and hear from the candidate. However, for the five candidates who are now serving, the electorate also has the opportunity to examine their performance while in office. Past accomplishments or failures are better criteria for evaluating than campaign promises which history has shown are often inflated.
As is true for the Congress of our federal government, the Kauai County Council does not enjoy high popularity ratings. Let us look at how our council has conducted itself in the past two years:
The function of our council is to enact new laws when required to address community needs. Critics of the council have on numerous occasions claimed that the council members have not given attention to the urgent matters affecting the well being of our people, and instead have engaged themselves on less important and even trivial issues. They have pointed out that although over development and unwarranted development have been ongoing problems for island residents the council did not pursue the moratorium bill offered by the mayor and has done nothing to stem development vastly greater than contemplated by the county General Plan. They have observed the lack of efforts to solve the growing problem the county has for solid waste disposal. They have been critical of the wasteful expenditures particularly in public works matters. They note that no governmental efforts are being made to promote alternative energy to alleviate our disturbingly high electric rates and induce our electric utility to accelerate its program for non-fossil fuel energy production. They have deplored the council’s preference for secrecy rather than embracing the openness that is prescribed in the state’s Sunshine Law. The list could go on.
In our national election campaign both parties are saying that they want to see change in how we are governed. But on Kaua‘i it appears that reelection of those now serving is likely to result in a continuation of the lack of direction that is claimed to exist here. What happens at the elections will depend on whether voters are content with this meandering course.
It may be that the critics of our government are wrong. But we cannot realistically expect to improve the quality of our elected representatives if we do not do what is necessary to educate ourselves about the programs, visions and performance of those who are seeking election.
Here are some rules to consider: (1) The election should not be a search for familiar names. No vote should be cast for any candidate simply because his or her name is recognized. (2) Most council votes are unanimous. If you are not content with their conduct of our affairs, you should look for council candidates who are not now serving. (3) Make your choice on the abilities and vision of the candidate. Avoid decisions based on criteria such as the color or sex of the candidate.
Our future well being depends upon our using our valuable right to vote to choose the candidates who are believed after thoughtful consideration to be mostly likely to faithfully serve our interests.
• Walter Lewis is a resident of Princeville and writes a bi-weekly column for The Garden Island.
