Mel Rapozo listens and learns
I’m definitely voting for Mel Rapozo for mayor of Kauai. He has always been easily accessible, and he listens and he learns. As a marine biologist, cleaning up our contaminated seas is my top priority. Therefore, when I met with Mel to introduce ATUs to him with Tom and Cindy Goff (whose company is instrumental in bringing ATU technology here to Kauai), he was surprised to hear about the technology and excited to help its advance. Thank you Mel! ATU stands for Advanced Treatment Units, an aerobic system for treating toilet waste.
I also like Mel’s suggested solutions to our problems of park vandalism and illegal vacation rentals. He suggests enforcing existing laws, like choosing a director of parks who is held accountable, and hiring enforcement officers. Yes! Top-down will work.
While vital, citizen protests alone (sign-waving, marches, speeches, letters to The Garden Island including mine, now) are not enough to fix troubling issues.
The ozone hole, for example, was lessened by curbing emissions of dangerous refrigerants, such as CFCs by DuPont, not by protests but by international control agreements among governments (1978 Montreal Protocol, on the basis of the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer).
Likewise, international agreements at top levels led to reduction of lead in gasoline and paints, DDT as an insecticide, etc. Requiring installations of ATUs at our county parks and private hotels, mandated by our county government, would be taking feasible and positive steps toward improving our ocean water quality.
I also note that Mel is intimately aware of the struggles plaguing Kauai youth. He himself has kids who left for the mainland for advanced education, jobs and housing. Thus, he is not just publicly, but personally ardent in his search for solutions to our employment and houseless problems!
I trust that Mel will keep listening and learning, and then take actions necessary to improve living conditions in Kauai, for people on the island and for the marine life around it.
Katherine Muzik, Kapahi
Left turn on blind curve is dangerous
Traveling east on Kaumualii Highway in Hanapepe to Eleele there is a blind curve that poses an accident waiting to happen and is a place where there have been many accidents. Drivers are allowed to make a left turn on that curve to turn back into Hanapepe Road and town.
At the same time, drivers are starting to accelerate to go up the hill only to find a near miss or an accident had happen because of drivers turning left there.
There should be a sign there prohibiting making a left turn.
There is a crosswalk, too, which poses an accident waiting to happen. Drivers accelerate traveling east uphill and drivers roll at high speed traveling west downhill on Kaumualii Highway there.
Howard Tolbe, Eleele
I will NOT be voting for Mel because of his constant resistance to bicycling infrastructure.
“Listening” does not equal action. with regard to Mr. Rapozo. Action speaks louder that words and certainly louder that listening.
In a 4-3 vote last week, Council Chair Mel Rapozo and members Arryl Kaneshiro, Ross Kagawa and Arthur Brun opposed a request from Mayor Bernard Carvalho’s administration to accept $50,000 from the Hawaii Community Foundation and a matching $50,000 from the nonprofit Partners for Places. (Honolulu Civil Beat August, 3, 2017)