• What’s in a word? • Great sales, marketing ploy • Wants drivers to be careful • Impressed with school flu-shot clinic What’s in a word? Article XXIV of the charter provides for the appointment of a charter commission, not
• What’s in a word? • Great sales,
marketing ploy • Wants drivers to be careful
• Impressed with school flu-shot
clinic
What’s in a word?
Article XXIV of the charter provides for the appointment of a charter commission, not a “charter review commission,” with a mandate “to study and review the operation of the county government under this charter” and to offer any amendments it deems necessary or desirable.
Some might argue that “charter commission” versus “charter review commission” is a distinction without a difference and represents nitpicking in the extreme. They might argue that “charter review commission” is often the language of choice for the commission itself, for other county agencies, and for the public at large. But in fact the insertion of “review” in the phrase “charter commission” significantly distorts the charter’s meaning.
Look again at the commission’s mandate. It is to study and review the operation of county government under the charter. The mandate clearly indicates that the commission cannot fulfill its function of offering charter amendments unless it has first studied and reviewed the operation of government — something the commission has never done adequately.
While the common use of “charter review commission” is not the cause of the commission’s failure to carry out its mandate, it does make it easier for everyone to assume that the commission is primarily concerned with “tweaks” to the charter proposed by the very government the commission is supposed to study and review — a tendency well illustrated by its current crop of amendments, by its cavalier dismissal of the idea of a county-manager system, and by its turning a blind eye to the long-overdue need for an update of the whole charter.
Horace Stoessel, Kapa‘a
Great sales, marketing ploy
After watching council meetings on TV and the constant comments I read, it seems as if our county council spends a lot of wasting time bickering. On one hand we have those who come up with good ideas or solutions and would like to move them forward. On the other hand we have those who I personally think have spent too many years on the council with their get-nowhere style of government. They seem to have a problem with anyone changing their business-as-usual approach. Thursday Oct. 14 front page of The Garden Island news (“Councilwoman files harassment report”) shows us a perfect example. Friday’s Oct. 15th edition was to give us all the low down on the whole story. After reading the early comments on the website Thursday, It seemed like a sure bet that people would be running for the Friday story before the ink was dry, only to find out that more information on the fiasco was needed before running the story (“Harassment story likely for Saturday,” Oct. 15). Finally two days later, Saturday the 16th we get the whole story. We didn’t really learn anything new of the continuing style of our County Council, but I’m sure newspaper sales were up for those interested. Good work Léo Azambuja! I think the same style of sales marketing would work for a continuing story of the “peaceful Caucasian hippies’ concert” and the “local KPD” making havoc arresting people and ticketing dirty license plates. Keep up the good work Léo, you might get a raise!
Steven Martin, Wailua Homesteads
Wants drivers to be careful
On Sept. 14 2010 at 10 a.m., my husband and I were involved in a two-car accident near the Garden Island Mortuary in Lawa‘i. A truck ran the stop sign, hit us on the left side, spun our car into oncoming traffic then head on into the wall fronting the mortuary. We weren’t seriously injured, thank God, but I’ve been going to four therapy appointments a week, without a car and because of pain haven’t been able to enjoy walking, swimming or doing my work growing plants.
Last evening Oct. 20th driving up the back road of Waha from Lawa‘i to Kalaheo, we were again inches from being hit head-on by a large Dodge truck speeding around a sharp curve taking up both lanes. Because we were going so slow we were able to avoid being hit. What is going on, I’ve been driving on Kaua‘i roads for 30 years? The traffic accidents and deaths are out of control, five deaths just between Hanapepe and the Tree Tunnel this year.
Please, please, please drive in the moment, get off the phones and slow down. Your life and others depends on it.
Our lives have changed because of someone else’s lack of attention. The driver of the truck that hit us in Lawa‘i said he didn’t see us because our car is green. Boy are we sorry that we have a green car. PLEASE DRIVE WITH ALL YOUR ATTENTION AT ALL TIMES. What’s the hurry?
Still in pain,
Kerin Rosenberger, Koloa
Impressed with school flu-shot clinic
I recently worked as an agency RN for a flu clinic at Waimea Canyon School. What a pleasure it was to be part of the team led by the Kaua‘i DOH (state Department of Health)! I have never seen a better-organized or more-efficient operation involving hundreds of kids, school staff and the team under the auspices of the extremely well-trained DOH command. From the web-training videos to the debriefing by the incident commander, the administration of flu shots to these school children was as smooth and fast flowing as the Hanapepe River after a decent rain.
If there is ever any type of epidemic or bioterrorism incident on Kaua‘i (God-forbid), I can safely say that the island and its people will be in excellent hands. Kudos to the DOH.
Sheila Heathcote, RN, Kalaheo
