Since my election to the Kaua‘i County Council in December, I have been working to advance the Council’s use of the Internet to support efficient operations, provide more timely responses to constituents, and to widely disseminate our Council and committee
Since my election to the Kaua‘i County Council in December, I have been working to advance the Council’s use of the Internet to support efficient operations, provide more timely responses to constituents, and to widely disseminate our Council and committee meeting minutes to educate/inform more citizens about issues that affect their daily lives.
Unfortunately, you will be disappointed to find out that efforts to provide Council and committee meeting minutes in electronic format for the public on our County Council Web site or for e-mailing, are opposed by Council Chair Asing and his appointed County Clerk Peter Nakamura.
Just as troubling is the lack of information coming into the Council members’ offices from outside. Communications addressed to all Council members (including e-mails, U.S. mail, and inter-office mail) are consistently and systematically screened by Mr. Nakamura. Mail for “all council members” does not necessarily get to all council members, and if it does, it may be delayed by days or weeks. Mail is doled out according to some criteria that are unknown to me and much of it is not delivered at all.
Imagine coming into a council meeting or committee meeting to find documents date-stamped “received” days earlier that are related to the agenda or decision-making to be done that day. Imagine, even more interestingly, that such information may be provided to some but not all council members. E-mail intended for all Council members is not sent electronically and when eventually circulated does not contain the return e-mail address making it impossible to even acknowledge the communication or respond in any way.
In his time on the Council, Council member Bynum has diligently attempted to address these issues by seeking an open dialog, clarifying Council rules and leading legislative efforts to increase the availability of information but has been denied access to the Council agenda (an issue that he will outline separately).
Information technology provides necessary alternative methods of service that supplement traditional information services and dramatically increases the availability of information to more of our constituents. Harnessing the technology that is already in place here at the county is a win-win for our community and for the County Council.
Councilmember Bynum and I have set up an alternate Web site, www.kauaiinfo.org, which documents our attempts to work with Chair Asing and Mr. Nakamura to advance the County Council into 21st century government transparency. Visit www.kauaiinfo.org where we will also provide the public documents which we are unable to post on the County Council Web site due to the environment cultivated by Chair Asing and Mr. Nakamura. We will get the public information to you. We’re doing it because they won’t.
Right now, our dedicated staff and Council members spend copious amounts of time photocopying, collating and generally using reams upon reams of paper getting ready for each and every Council meeting and attending to every request for information that comes across the desk. And constituents drive from all over the island to retrieve those copies. Then they drive back home. The state Senate started going paperless in 2007. Most of their work is now online. The Mayor’s administration and all Kaua‘i County boards and commissions provide meeting minutes online. It is past time the County Council provide that same standard of government transparency.
The current practices at Council Services that control access to information are indefensible and an embarrassment. They stand in stark contrast to your legal right to expect your government to inform you, educate you and urge you to become an active participant. I am calling for your support, for your and my access to information, for public discussion. Write a letter to The Garden Island, the Mayor, the County Attorney and to Council members to request consideration of specific measures to move Kaua‘i’s government to the open process we all deserve.
E-mail can be sent to neagle@kauaipubco.com, mayor@kauai.gov, attorney@kauai.gov, councilmembers@kauai.gov (this new address will be received by all Council members) and counciltestimony@kauai.gov (will become part of public record). Mail can be sent to Council Services 4396 Rice Street Room 206, Lihu‘e, HI 96766. A more detailed discussion along with copies of documents, proposed bills and resolutions related to this issue can be accessed at www.kauaiinfo.org.
Editor’s Note: These guest viewpoints submitted to The Garden Island newspaper ran
