As absentee ballots are out and general election day is near, when reviewing our choices for council candidates, a major consideration for me is in looking at who has already shown up and been engaged in our community conversations well before needing our votes.
I’ve heard of council candidates who run and admit they have never been to a council meeting before, never submitted testimony before and/or even worse, who feel as if they already know enough, so don’t need to go to council meetings at all. Even without having run for council, it should be obvious that this doesn’t make any sense!
By attending council meetings as just an everyday citizen, this gives a person the opportunity to observe, listen and watch the dynamics between current council members: Can they have civil, thoughtful discussions together? Is there mutual respect when they disagree?
Do they allow one another to speak, or is there someone who dominates and others who just follow and agree? Is there mansplaining and disparaging treatment of women on the council? How are testifiers being treated? Are council members willing to even hear out those giving testimony with views different from their own?
This is just a brief list of what I could think of off the top of my head, on what I would want my council members to be considering constantly of themselves and their colleagues as they deliberate, while they are hopefully listening, and especially as they decide all of our futures.
I really feel that we need people on our County Council who have hands-on, in-person experience of civic participation.
Council candidates who know firsthand what it’s like to testify and who have engaged in actual discussions for it to count; not just out of books or assuming a degree makes up for their lack of presence in the council chamber or in conversations throughout the community.
It’s so important to have council members who have shown up to council meetings just as everyday citizens, when they weren’t being paid to be there and not just because they know others are watching and they want our votes. Because that way they’ll remember and know what it feels like to be that person on the other side of the table, who likely took time off of work and made various other arrangements to be there, just to speak for a few minutes, but on an issue they truly care about.
And that agree with you or not, they can truly listen to you, try to understand your point of view, and consider your voice when they vote.
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Patricia Wistinghausen is a resident of Kapaa
