LIHU‘E — Following a forum that lasted three hours Monday night in Waimea, all nine Kaua‘i County Council candidates were ready Tuesday morning for a light-hearted coffee hour with about 80 kupuna at Lihu‘e Neighborhood Center.
Contrasting with the snappy format of the previous night’s forum for council candidates, the event Tuesday morning had the feel of a get-together between seniors and candidates. Sen. Ron Kouchi, D-Kaua‘i, Ni‘ihau, and prosecuting attorney candidates Justin Kollar and incumbent Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho also attended the event sponsored by Na Kupuna Council.
The senior citizens set the tone of the coffee hour early on, by cracking jokes and teasing candidates.
Each candidate spoke for a couple minutes. Council Chair Jay Furfaro kept it more personal by letting go of the microphone. Other candidates tried to follow Furfaro’s idea, but the kupuna soon clipped it: Some of the seniors sitting in the back couldn’t hear them without the microphone.
The candidates spoke a little bit about their lives and accomplishments, and tried to establish a connection with the kupuna by talking about their elders. Some of the candidates alerted the kupuna of the dangers of identity theft and the rising drug use among youth, who resort to burglary to pay for drugs.
Once the introduction was over, the kupuna had a chance to ask specific questions. Aside from a concern regarding graffiti in Wailua, the rest of the event focused on the state Public Land Development Corporation, created after Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed Act 55 last year.
The Kupuna wanted to know from Councilman KipuKai Kuali‘i what was all the buzz about PLDC. After all, Kuali‘i introduced a resolution asking Abercrombie to repeal Act 55. The council is scheduled to decide on the resolution today.
Kuali‘i said he believes the state Legislature and Abercrombie had good intentions when passing Act 55, but the new law could have some adverse consequences on Kaua‘i.
The law gives the newly-created five-member PLDC board the power to circumvent county zoning laws to allow development of public lands. The idea is to find additional revenues for an underfunded state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Kouchi, one of the lawmakers who voted for Senate Bill 1555, the measure that became Act 55, said that looking in retrospect, the law has a few flaws that need to be addressed.
The primary focus of Act 55 is looking into how to develop O‘ahu’s Ala Wai Harbor and Aloha Tower, according to Kouchi. On Kaua‘i, he said, there are a couple of places that could benefit from the act, and one of them is the area encompassing Wailua Marina, its restaurant, lu‘au grounds and the Fern Grotto.
Kouchi said the PLDC should come up with an inventory of lands that should not be developed. On Kaua‘i, those lands would include Ke‘e Beach, Koke‘e and Salt Pond, he said.
“We can’t just talk about what we don’t want,” Kouchi said. “Tell me what we should do, so we’re not back at the table taxing people.”
He said the governor has said on the record that he will veto any potential repeal of the act by the Legislature. If that were to happen, the Legislature would have to reconvene and override Abercrombie’s veto by a supermajority vote, which would be difficult, according to Kouchi.
However, at a meeting on Kaua‘i Sept. 19, Abercrombie blamed the Legislature for Act 55, according to Rapozo, and now the governor is saying he would veto a repeal of the act by state lawmakers.
“I think it would be a huge political mistake for the governor to veto a repeal,” Rapozo said.
Council Vice Chair JoAnn Yukimura said Kouchi’s idea of singling out areas that should not be developed might work. But rather than “not this,” make it “only that,” said Yukimura, explaining that the law should pinpoint the areas targeted for development.
She also questioned PLDC’s potential non-compliance with the Sunshine Law.
“It’s a bad law,” Yukimura said of Act 55. Lawmakers need to either repeal it or modify it, she said.
Once all the talk was over, kupuna and candidates mingled and feasted on an extensive potluck breakfast.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@ thegardenisland.com.
REFER BOX:
See “Waimea kick-starts marathon week for council candidates” for full coverage of Monday night’s council forum in Waimea. See Thursday’s edition for full coverage of the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce County of Kaua‘i Council Debate.
