• Your vote counts • Carvahlo ready to step up • Singers performed exuberantly
Your vote counts
I just voted today. I am very concerned that the way the charter amendment concerning implementation of the General Plan (last on the ballot) is worded will cause confusion. The legalese words and long length may deter people from even voting on the amendment.
It’s unfortunate that the county created confusion that could unfairly defeat this important charter amendment by not accepting the submitted one-sentence summary ballot question. Every other proposed charter amendment — and one of them is four pages long — is summarized on the ballot with a one-sentence ballot question.
The rejected ballot question for this charter amendment, which should have been printed on the ballot, is this:
“Shall the county Charter be amended to require that the County Council be responsible to ensure that the issuance of permits for hotels, timeshares and other tourist accommodations is limited to a number that is consistent with the planning growth range of the county’s General Plan?”
Several years ago, Kaua‘i County (i.e., the people of Kaua‘i) spent a lot of money and time to update our General Plan. Residents all over the island came together many times to add their input to the new revisions and finally the long-awaited and overdue General Plan was completed.
Meeting after meeting, the consensus was to keep Kaua‘i rural, to maintain its natural beauty and ecosystems, and to maintain sustainable growth. To that end, limitations for tourism accommodation construction were set into the General Plan.
Why turn over the responsibility for these development decisions from the Planning Commission to the County Council? Because under the Planning Commission, responsibility more than four times as many new tourist units have been built than were envisioned in the General Plan.
Since the Planning Commission members are appointed by the mayor, we have little recourse. But since the County Council members are elected, that gives us residents some leverage to keep development consistent with the vision of our General Plan.
This charter amendment only seeks compliance with the General Plan’s recommendation of increasing new tourist development at a rate no greater than 1.5 percent a year.
If this charter amendment doesn’t pass, the Planning Commission will continue to give out permits to build more and more hotels, time shares and resort condos, as it has been doing without any regard to the negative impact on our island. Tourist development has gone up to six times beyond what the General Plan envisioned since it was adopted in 2000.
I am concerned. I hope you are, too! Please vote “yes” for charter amendment concerning implementation of the General Plan (last on the ballot).
• Joan Levy, Kapa‘a
Carvahlo ready to step up
As siblings, educators and life-long residents of our beloved Kaua‘i, we are uniting our voices in support of Bernard Carvalho in his bid to become our next mayor.
JoAnn Yukimura and Bernard reflect our extended ‘ohana, a way of life shared as families that are island-bound and living together in close proximity. It is a cultural aspect of our lives that are intertwined, regardless of race, color or creed.
As close-knit Kauaians, we have appreciated JoAnn’s warm friendship and her contribution of leadership, but let us share our reasons why we have given our support to Bernard.
Bernard is part of the new wave of those hundreds of students we had taught, whose individual strengths we had hoped to ignite that would launch them off to an adulthood of productivity in their dreams to better the world.
The four of us are not quite at the energetic level we had of endeavoring service to community, so how delighted we are to see one from the next generation willing to step into positions of leadership and authority with nothing in his baggage but fresh ideas, the willingness to work with innovative experts and the courage to make decisions that will move us to address challenges expediently.
We have seen his determination and strength of character in his academic and athletic endeavors. We have watched his development as he worked his way up the ranks in school, on the field and in his professional career. Even more importantly, we, along hundreds of others, have gained insight to his productive style of leadership, having worked directly with him on projects and events he has had to oversee.
He has had his trials and tribulations in learning what the demands are for choosing to be a public servant. He has learned the disciplines of life’s lessons by being well-organized, responsive and accountable. We admire him for his resilience, his compassion and his integrity.
Bernard is now ready to step up to the plate to be in charge of the county of Kaua‘i . He is well-known and respected by his colleagues in the administration. Bernard will be a wise decision-maker, one who will prove to be a consistent and reliable source of leadership who can see numerous, important projects and programs to completion.
With enormous challenges continuing to mount, we cannot afford leadership that waits too long to come to decisions, as we had experienced in 1992 at the expense of the ‘aina.
Finally, Bernard is the essence of living aloha. He has that natural knack of being down-to-earth and genuinely sincere. He is proof-positive that one can rise from humble ranks to be the best he can be by having the grit and determination to get up again every time you’re knocked down. Bernard is loved and respected intergenerationally.
He is, the heart of Kaua‘i in the truest sense of the word. For these reasons, we ask you to join us in voting for Bernard Carvalho.
• Millie Wellington, Jean Odo, Jose Bulatao Jr. and Barbara Bulatao-Franklin
Recipients of the HSRTA-KRTA Family of Educators Recognition Award
Singers performed exuberantly
Kaua‘i High School Singers and Chorus performed exuberantly last Tuesday and Wednesday nights. “Where the River Meets the Sea” showcased talented singers and dancers with a catchy variety of water-themed songs from rivers to oceans to surfin’ USA.
Under the direction of Ms. Nina Saraos, the students rehearsed steadily and rose to the occasion of their first performance of the school year. There was a wistfulness both on stage and in the audience as Ms. Saraos acknowledged the talents and generosity of the late Mr. David Conrad, former music teacher at Kaua‘i High. The singers did him proud.
It is our hope the Gov. Lingle and the state Legislature will stop their own budget cuts for public education. The fine arts are vital to all children, from kindergarten through high school.
Mahalo to Ms. Saraos, Mrs. Cantu, parents-who-helped, and the talented singers of Kaua‘i High School!
• Terese Barich, Dorothy and Frank Barich, Oregon
