On the ‘we’ of politics, voting, and land-use maps

We are going to need everybody to help these next few days – everyone.

We especially need the disenfranchised, the distrustful, the procrastinators, the cynics, the bored, the angry, the distracted, and the drop-outs. At this particular point in time, your voice matters more than you can possibly imagine, even if you think it doesn’t.

The rest of us have already voted and now we need the rest of you. Ok, I know you are busy and life is complicated and I don’t mean to bang on you for not following every campaign that is out there. But the reality is we do need you and everyone, to vote and to push, encourage, demand that friends and family vote as well.

When I say “we need you to vote,” I am speaking in a collective “we” as in people who believe that the protection and nurturing of people and the planet should come first. The we I speak of, believe our economy is best when it is diverse, and that food sustainability should be a priority. We believe also that if a person works 40 hours a week, they deserve to earn a wage that will provide them with a dry safe place to live, 3 meals a day and basic health care.

We also believe that the health of our community should come before the profits of the largest corporations in the world.

I fully understand the “we” I speak of is not inclusive of all readers. Some of you no doubt believe in a world dominated by “survival of the fittest,” and that only the strong should survive. Other good people subscribe to the “invisible hand” and the (what I believe to be) charade of so-called market based solutions. I’m guessing that there are also more than a few Q-anon believers out there who also will not embrace the world view of the “we” I speak of.

Fortunately, we believe we are all in this together and that we are obligated to take care of each other – and that includes you!

So my hope again is that we, all of us – show up to vote.

Just about all of the attention for Kauai’s primary election is focused on the County Council race. There are 21 candidates today, and on Saturday night only 14 of them will still be standing.

Not one single Kauai State incumbent legislator has an opponent in the primary. Likewise, the Kauai prosecutor is also running unopposed. There is no Mayors race and until the General Election there will be no voting for President. Consequently, voter turnout on Kauai is likely to be worse than the bad it normally already is.

For Council candidates with a strong base who are motivated to vote, this could translate to opportunity. A handful of votes in a low turnout election can make all the difference when a candidate is trying to break into the top 14, or perhaps even the top 7.

With the deadline for mailing in ballots having already passed, voters are encouraged to “vote in person” daily between the hours of 8 am and 4:30 pm (until 7pm on August 8th) at the “Voter Service Center” located in the Piikoi Building, across from the Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) – enter from the parking lot is best. For those who still have not registered to vote, “same-day voter registration is also available here.

In addition to voting, there is no shortage of other things to pay attention to this week as well. On the County Council agenda for today, Wednesday August 5, are several items pertaining to the Planning Commission’s recommendation to amend the West Kaua‘i Community Plan. These proposed changes are important and have potentially far-reaching impacts on the future development of Kauai’s west side. A copy of the Council agenda is here: https://rb.gy/fuu7xz

The items being discussed include: “A Bill For An Ordinance Establishing Regulations, Procedures, Zoning, Development Plans, And Future Growth Areas For The Hanapepe -‘Ele‘ele Planning District And The Waimea-Kekaha Planning District In Chapter 10, Kaua‘i County Code 1987”

Also on the agenda are bills, “Establishing A New Plantation Camp (PC) District,” and “Establishing A New Special Treatment Coastal Edge (ST-CE) District.”

The community should be especially mindful of proposals to “amend zoning and land-use maps.” Whenever a map is amended or changed, and the resulting land use designations are changed, often a significant benefit is granted to the landowner. Landowners and developers will later refer to these changes as “entitlements,” and essentially say they are entitled to the use (and implied development rights) designated on these maps, because “the map says it’s so.”

So head’s up Kauai. Get involved, pay attention, and vote!

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Gary Hooser formerly served in the state Senate, where he was majority leader. He also served for eight years on the Kaua‘i County Council, and was the former director of the state Office of Environmental Quality Control. He serves presently in a volunteer capacity as board president of the Hawai‘i Alliance for Progressive Action and is executive director of the Pono Hawai‘i Initiative.