LIHU‘E — Finally holding a much-awaited discussion about government transparency, rules and policy, Kaua‘i County Council members pulled no punches in a day-long, back-and-forth that at times turned heated on Wednesday at the Historic County Building. Excluding an hour for
LIHU‘E — Finally holding a much-awaited discussion about government transparency, rules and policy, Kaua‘i County Council members pulled no punches in a day-long, back-and-forth that at times turned heated on Wednesday at the Historic County Building.
Excluding an hour for lunch and an hour of previously scheduled public testimony pertaining to an unrelated bill, on the docket from 9 a.m. until a dinner break (and The Garden Island’s press deadline) was a single agenda item about members’ access to the agenda, the placement of public documents on the county Web site, equitable and timely circulation of documents, and general access to information.
Nearly 20 community members testified in support of the push by Council members Tim Bynum and Lani Kawahara to address those issues, and presentations by the pair accused Council Chair Kaipo Asing of stifling discussion and failing to abide by the spirit of the council’s rules.
Asing, in turn, painted the pair as dishonest, at one point saying he could “disprove every single allegation he (Bynum) has made.”
The beleaguered chair also disclosed that the official County Council government Web site had been tampered with, as unauthorized changes were made. He said an investigation was ongoing.
For the full story on the contentious meeting, see Friday’s edition of The Garden Island.
