Let the people decide

Any proposal that would significantly change the way the county governs itself should be put before voters, including the county manager amendment now in the hands of the Charter Review Commission.

The commission deserves the public’s patience while it studies the proposal, irons out any kinks and ensures that it is legally sound. Rushing to put an imperfect amendment on the 2010 ballot would be a disservice to the community.

But if we give the commissioners more time, they must assure us that it is not another stall tactic in an effort to kill the proposed amendment. The commission must review the dozens of different county manager options being used nationally, weigh the criteria, get the county attorney on board, mold one that would work well for Kaua‘i and put it before voters to decide if this is what they want.

Commissioner Barbara Bennett said this week that 500 hours, or roughly 6 months, would be sufficient to accomplish this work. We must hold the commission to this estimate and demand answers should it deviate.

“Special care must be taken when considering overall changes to the fundamental structure of our local government,” she said in her nine-page report to the commission. “We must be certain that the proposed changes will provide for greater accountability, improve the delivery of essential services, and address the multiple needs and desires in our community.”

We agree.

The latest county manager proposal was stalled due to legal concerns over its potential infringement on our system of checks and balances. If we’re worried about this being corroded if the mayor is essentially replaced by a council-appointed manager, shouldn’t we be worried about the undue influence the mayor-appointed county attorney has over the council?

This is a representative republic, not a pure democracy. We delegate our authority to our elected leaders so they may act on our behalf. We retain the power of the election and even the power of recall when appropriate.

But there are some issues that require full democratic participation and cannot simply be left to the existing power structure to decide. The system by which we are governed is one of those special cases.

“Majority rules” may not always be the best way to move a society forward (exceptions would include civil rights or minority rights issues), but in this case it is.

If we want to switch to a system in which the county council hires a specially trained county manager to run the government, reducing the mayor to more of a figure head, then all voters should have a say in this transition.

The Charter Review Commission remains the most appropriate vehicle to place such a proposal on the ballot. But if its members drag their feet and decide they do not want the people to have this opportunity, we remind county-manager proponents that the commission is just one of three ways to put an issue before voters. There other means are through the County Council and via citizens petition.

We do not want to make excuses for the commission; its members have their own prerogatives. But they lack the power to completely close the door on this important issue.

We are not inclined at present to endorse a county manager form of government over the strong-mayoral system we currently have. But we are advocating for the proposal to be put before voters at its earliest opportunity. If this is not 2010, then by 2012 at the latest.

We are taking Bennett at her word that the work of the subcommittee will continue. We expect to hear regular updates from her and whoever else is appointed. We expect hard work from all.

We expect our government to deliver a sound county manager proposal in a timely fashion. Then we’ll let the people decide.