• Stay classy, Kaua‘i • Festering subject • Dedication and commitment Stay classy, Kaua‘i I am amazed at the visual pollution from campaign signs this year… especially the new ones at the entrance of our beautiful tree tunnel. If we
• Stay classy, Kaua‘i • Festering subject • Dedication and commitment
Stay classy, Kaua‘i
I am amazed at the visual pollution from campaign signs this year… especially the new ones at the entrance of our beautiful tree tunnel.
If we want to attract tourists, this is not the way to do it. They can go to the Mainland for billboards. Some political signs now approach billboard status.
I applaud JoAnn Yukimura and her concern for the beauty of our island by withholding her election signage to the time prescribed by the election sign recommendations.
The rest of our politicians should pay attention to this. How many people enjoy looking at political signs?
Signs for businesses are also a problem. The new Koloa Landing project appears to have a freestanding billboard in front of that site. Along Koloa Road by the shopping center… it looks like an old Burma Save site.
We are a classy island. Let’s keep it that way.
Carol Ann Davis-Briant, Koloa
Festering subject
The Aug. 4 edition of The Garden Island headlined “County manager proposal killed” continues to extoll the virtues of the county-manager system while avoiding any reference, possibly, to the real reason why the Charter Review Commission voted unanimously to accept its sub-committee’s report and recommendation “against placing a measure for a county-manager form of government on the 2010 general election ballot. The committee, accordingly … further recommends that the issue of the county-manager form of government be postponed indefinitely.”
During the CRC’s monthly meeting of July 26, Mr. Mickens, testifying against the sub-committee’s report, made the following statement: “The committee assignment is to compare the county-manager system with the county-mayor form as it is, not in some speculative way as to which it may be changed.”
How wrong can Mr. Mickens be? In my testimony, I pointed out that the committee’s “assignment” was defined by Section 24.03 of the Charter. When proposing changes to our Charter by way of the Charter Review Commission, compliance with Section 24.03 requires that “in the event the Commission deems changes are necessary or desirable, the Commission may propose amendments to the Charter or draft a new Charter.” The key words are “necessary” or “desirable.”
In determining the necessity for change, the sub-committee had to make findings of deficiencies (1) in the Charter, (2) in the performance of elected or appointed officials attributable to a Charter deficiency, or (3) the county-mayor system fails to meet the wants and needs of its constituents, excluding honest differences of opinion as to what those wants and need are.
The proponents for change completely failed to carry their burden of proof under all three (3) instances. Identifying the deficiencies, if true, would have provided the “necessity for change.” Allusions to or inferences of the existence of such deficiencies, however, does not satisfy the requirements of Section 24.03 regardless of how much better the county-manager system may look on paper or how loudly it is claimed that it is a better choice.
Nor does the county-manager proposal satisfy the other requirement of “desirability.” My testimony to the Commission identified undesirable aspects of the manager system which I listed in my Letter to the Editor published on July 3 (“7 reasons county manager shouldn’t fly”). I added to that list the fact that retention of an “elected mayor” in the manager system is a charade … a false pretense … included in the system to mislead people into thinking that we still have a legitimate “mayor” system when there is no “real” mayor but a councilman who is elected to serve as Chairman of the Council and given the title of “Mayor.”
The sub-committee and the Charter Review Commission acted well within the guidelines provided by the Charter and are to be congratulated for bringing to conclusion the drama and saga of this long festering subject of the county-manager form of government.
Alfred Laureta, Lihu‘e
Dedication and commitment
I would like to show my appreciation to Karen and Steve Matsumoto of the Kaua‘i Youth Basketball Association for their dedication and commitment to our youth of Kaua‘i.
For the past 12-plus years, Karen and Steve have worked endless hours ensuring that our youth are able to participate in the winter and summer league basketball programs. Not only do they do all the administrative work for the association (game schedules, game locations, coordination with the referees, etc…), but they also have found the time to man the scorekeeper’s table. Steve has also put in many hours to coach several teams throughout the years.
They have also organized tournaments and clinics for our youth to experience. All this for our youth of Kaua‘i. Thank you again Karen and Steve for your efforts, your dedication, and your commitment to youth basketball on Kaua‘i.
Lew Lindsey, Kapa‘a
