• This trash can thing is a joke • Wake up, before it’s too late • County doesn’t have a true manager
This trash can thing is a joke
We do all we can to recycle and save space in our landfill — plastic, metal cans, mixed paper, glass, cardboard. It all gets recycled at our house. We recycle so much that we put up our 32 gallon trash can for pick up every other week! Now, we get a county-issued trash can that is twice as big, which means we only need to put it up for pick up once a month. This does not encourage recycling efforts on our little island that has limited space in the landfill.
In fact, we think it has the opposite effect. People will be encouraged to fill up their trash cans to ensure they are getting their money’s worth from this mandatory fee. Probably with the same things that should be recycled — glass, metal cans, plastics, paper and cardboard.
Thanks, County Council.
Reuben Balmores
Kalaheo
Wake up, before it’s too late
As someone who has visited Kauai many times, I always take great joy in reading The Garden Island. My wife and I have considered moving to the island to open a business that would employ, at the low end, 30 people.
But after reading in the paper about the intolerance that seems to be permeating Kauai, I told her to look elsewhere. It seems you have a group that has not met legislation, no matter how expensive or restrictive. Yet, the government needs to cut salaries and services. When will the island wake up? Until you do, you will continue to slip further and further to insolvency.
Craig Waldvogel
New York, New York
County doesn’t have a true manager
With all due respect to my friend, Monroe Richman, he is wrong in his March 5 TGI letter in saying that Ms Nakamura is our county manager. Her position is managing director and that job description does in no way fit that of a county manager.
One important difference — a true county manager hires and, if necessary, fires department heads, and I am confident that Ms Nakamura has done neither. Ms Nakamura simply takes instruction from the mayor on what he wants done.
Monroe claims that Ken and I “failed to note what shortcomings would be corrected by a county manager.”
Ken and I and many other Kauai citizens have outlined a list of factual issues that remain undone and get worse under six years of this administration. Where is the “inaccuracy” in knowing that our roads are in the worst shape in the country; that no alternate roads are being built (cane haul roads in the waiting) and thus traffic is being exacerbated by the day; that our solid waste program is as bad or worse now than it was six years ago; that our taxes and fees continue to climb without seeing any betterment in our services; our homeless people and drug problems remain an issue?
With due fairness to our administration, many of these issues have been going on for years and were not created by this one. But, again, what problems of importance have been eliminated in the past six years?
The most accurate thing you said, Monroe, was, “If your doubts still prevail, place a measure on the ballot and let the voters decide.”
Two years ago, a group of us worked hard to do exactly that. But the administration stacked the meetings held with their people to make sure that the citizens’ voices were drowned out.
One simple question, Monroe. Is this wonderful island going in the right direction by addressing all the above problems — answer it honestly? If your answer is “no” then the only other choice is to go to another system, right?
Glenn Mickens
Kapaa
