LASSIE’S LAMENT: Has anyone wondered what the deal is after seeing the listing as it appears on the ballot for council candidate Dickie Chang.
In parentheses it lists his business’ name, Wala`au, after his name- a blatant violation of Hawai`i law and administrative rules.
HRS: §12-3 states specifically
Nomination paper; format; limitations. (a) No candidate's name shall be printed upon any official ballot to be used at any primary, special primary or special election unless a nomination paper was filed in the candidate's behalf and in the name by which the candidate is commonly known.(emphasis added)
The nomination paper shall be in a form prescribed and provided by the chief election officer containing substantially the following information:
(4) The legal name of the candidate, the name by which the candidate is commonly known, if different, the office for which the candidate is running, and the candidate's party affiliation or nonpartisanship; all of which are to be placed on the nomination paper by the chief election officer or the clerk prior to releasing the form to the candidate.
Is there someone who actually calls our good friend Dickie Wala`au? If not, it is illegal to have included it on the ballot.
And if there’s any doubt, Hawai`i Administrative Rules (HAR) §2-52-4 make it clear by saying
Nomination papers; candidate name on ballot.
(a) A candidate's name, including the Hawaiian or English equivalent or nickname, shall be limited to twenty-seven characters; provided that the twenty-seven characters shall include punctuation and blank spaces, and shall be set on one line.
(b) The name of the candidate appearing on the ballot may be the candidate's legal name or the name by which the candidate is most commonly known. If a candidate seeks to have a name other than the candidate's legal name, its commonly recognized equivalent, or maiden name, appear on the ballot, the candidate, at the time of filing nomination papers shall also file a notarized affidavit in which the candidate attests to the fact that the name to appear on the ballot is the name by which the candidate is most commonly known throughout the district from which the candidate seeks election. .(emphasis added)
(e) Slogans shall not be printed on the ballot.
Not only doesn’t anyone call Dickie “Wala`au”- the name of his television program- it certainly is not the name by which he is most commonly known throughout the island.
Dickie may be the nicest guy you would want to meet but not only is he out of step with his pro-uncontrolled-growth “never met a tourism business or hotel he didn’t like” positions but he obviously has little regard for the law either when it comes to shameless promotion- something at which few haven’t cringed in the past
Swearing a false affidavit is a crime in Hawai`i.
-----------------
QUESTIONS FOR QUEENIE: Ask Fido:When we reported twice how Bernard Carvalho was apparently ducking a “forum” with his opponent JoAnn Yukimura last month it wasn’t as if there weren’t any other forums with the two.
The difference was that the one that was “cancelled” at the time was the one sponsored by the local newspaper The Garbage- er Garden Island.
Imagine our relief when we were able to report not only had it had been rescheduled, this time it was billed as an actual debate
At last- some professionally-developed, well-structured questions with specificity and follow-ups asked to provoke answers on the issues not just the “what are you going to do about” or “tell us your thoughts on” type of questions which generally do little but provoke the candidatures to give their standard pre-packaged stump speech.
But this being Kaua`i and the newspaper being the rag it is- staffed by a malahini editor and publisher and reporters similarly unfamiliar with Kaua`i history, culture and issues - we should have known better.
Perhaps the most inane nonsensical misinformed questions were asked of the candidates by Adam Harju, a mainland transplant who, along with his well meaning and skilled staff have no idea what they’re doing and obviously never prepared debate questions before, much less ones pertinent to Kaua`i voters.
The first one was a doozy, to the point where they had to be asked to repeat it because it was so long convoluted – not to mention presumptuous and baffling as to intent and content.
Even reading it now it’s no wonder the candidates didn’t bother trying to answer it. It asked
The Kauai County Charter has been described as lacking the depth for a strict interpretation of its intent. If the charter does in fact allow for flexibility in interpreting the powers bestowed upon the office of mayor, is that flexibility a good thing and how will you use that flexibility to carry out your duties?
What? Who described it that way? And what the heck does that first sentence even mean? What exactly does the phrase “strict interpretation of it’s intent”. Is intent interpretable?. By definition, no. And what “flexibility” does it have? Perhaps ambiguity is the word you were looking for Adam.
Certainly the Kaua`i charter is short on specific nuts and bolts but so are most constitutional documents- look at the US Constitution the national equivalent of our county charter.
Charters -and constitutions- rely on setting out the inviolable basics to be detailed by ordinances by the legislative body, the council and effectuated by the administrative branch- the mayor.
If anything the question shows a distinct lack of understanding of how government works. Didn’t the author ever take a civics class? Or was this just an attempt to sound smart?
But out of the frying pan into the fire. The rest of the questions were so broad it was basically just an invitation to tell us anything at all and some were downright hilarious attempts to do that.
The so called follow-up to the charter question was even more vacuous. He asked
“So what role does the charter play in the day-to-day functioning of the mayor's office?”
Day to day? Probably none since there are ordinances and administrative rules that are in place based on the Charter that are the real day to day concerns. And what is this- high school. Are they candidates or teachers?
Here some more fluffy softballs lobbed
What is your interpretation of supporting the local economy?
What specifically are you going to do to help the small businesses on Kauai?
What's the first issue you would tackle in office?
But these snoozers are nothing compared to the silliness of others such as
What does the Kauai County General Plan have to do with anything?
Well if you have to ask maybe you should read the General Plan and read the Charter, (which has a whole section that answers this question) something that obviously wasn’t done... along with first gaining an understanding of what “planning” is in the governance context since every community across the state and most throughout the county’s have a general development plan?
One of the screwiest was this
How do you determine where the state's fiscal responsibility ends and the county's begins?
Although there are some gray areas - such as some roads that were established as “government roads” before statehood- for the most part, due to the centralized structure that resulted from statehood for a territory with well established law, the state, through its constitution, laws and regulations pretty much determines what the state’s and counties’ responsibilities are. Anything unaddressed is delegated to the counties by default.
At this point it seems more like the Harju was asking the candidate to give him a class in civics and governance and explain the minutia Hawai`i laws and regulations
And on others it seemed as if Harju hadn’t read his own paper. He asked
Would you relocate the Salt Pond treatment facility from the old humane society buildings?
Guess what? That plan was ditched years ago. It made headlines statewide.
Though a facility is sorely needed and he could have asked what they were going to do to get one built- or better, in whose neighborhood they would put one- he asked about reviving the Hanapepe plans– another debacle of the Baptiste administration.
He obviously didn’t get the “news” that protests put the kibosh on putting troubled teens in the old dog pound and pollute the nearby ancient salt pans with sewage and run-off..
Actually the best questions came from the audience who seemed to have at least more of a handle on the real issues and even a better ability to pinpoint the questions to elicit specific answers. Questions like
What targets would you set to reduce our dependancy (sic) on oil imports and your specific actions to achieve those targets?
and, although strangely worded, this one
How are you handling NIMBY (not in my backyard) for locating a new landfill?
and especially this one
What is your plan of action for increasing sustainable commerce on Kauai. With tourism on the decline, Poipu destroyed, developers stopping construction, now laying people off, how will you turn this around so Kauai can withstand this declining economy?
While not perfect at least they go to the heart of the issues and amount to more than TGI’s “what pabulum have you come to spoon-feed us tonight?” queries.
This seemingly leaves unasked that one question we always seem to be asking of our county government, the business community and the press : “Can’t anyone here play this game?”
------
AUDIT THE AIREDALE: And to round out our charter amendment analyses there’s one to establish the long needed County Auditor.
The council has hemmed and hawed and threatened investigations of the administration for 15 years even appropriating money in an aborted effort to establish an auditor’s office under the council’s control.
This amendment will establish an office, supposedly independently, to perform management audits of the administrative departments and agencies. It is long overdue. Vote yes- twice if you can.
Showing posts with label Special Mayoral Election-2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Special Mayoral Election-2008. Show all posts
Friday, October 17, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME
AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME: As detailed here twice recently- as well as in other Hawai`i blogs and even (gasp) to some extent in the mainstream press- it appears that vote totals this Saturday will not even be recorded much less counted at the precincts or anywhere else on the neighbor islands.
A lawsuit on Maui has been filed but judges have been consistently ruling against anything that will change this year’s un-official, official election procedures no matter how arbitrary and capricious... although the case is on appeal.
And so, as has been ubiquitously reported, one potential screwup-waiting-to-happen is that the votes will go directly via phone lines from the electronic voting equipment “cards” to the State Capitol for counting without even being recorded first, leaving room for all sorts of mischief.
But PNN has learned today that Kaua`i votes haven’t been tabulated or even recorded on island in the last 10 years and have rather been electronically transmitted to Honolulu for tabulation and first release.
In answer to PNN’s queries as to whether, as usual, the county would hand out the totals to the gaggle of reporters and campaign operatives that usually gathers at the county building on election eve, Deputy County Clerk Ernie Passion said they haven’t done the tabulations here at least since he got here in 1998.
Rather they’ve let the machines send them to Honolulu where they were electronically shipped back here and printed out for the gathered.
This doesn’t mean they ever had the required Chapter 91 Administrative Rules for the procedures, as attorney Lance Collins states in the Maui lawsuit. It just means they’ve been doing it illegally for a long time now.
Those who want to be among the very first to get the vote totals on Saturday can click here and bookmark the site. Then on Saturday around 7 p.m. you can go there and keep hitting “refresh” to get the up to the minute results.
And speaking of telling people where to go, this Saturday’s Special Mayoral Election appears to be a two way race between Bernard Carvalho ad JoAnn Yukimura for first place with Mel Rapozo trailing badly according to the PNN’s coconut-wireless totally-not-based-on-anything-but-a-hunch poll.
Our guess is that Carvalho will come in with about 40% with Yukimura coming in at about 35%, Rapozo around 20% and Rolf Bieber pulling in about 5%.
It doesn’t take a genius to see where most of the old boy support is because Carvalho’s first campaign spending report is in and he leads the cash race collecting a whopping $132 562.41 from July 8 through September 5 of which he still has $46,877. 36
And his list of contributors contains the names of virtually every Kaua`i county department head and a slew of county employees indicating that the old boys know who will put shoyu on their rice.
Click on the contributors list for an eyeful especially the fact that the identification of the people giving him money for the most part is sorely lacking... not that the others have any more details.
Carvalho has taken the Rose Garden approach so far and seemingly successfully when you look at his list of supporters which includes many Democratic Party stalwarts that supported Yukimura 20 years ago as well as the big business biggies that Ron Kouchi drew in his losing campaign against Bryan Baptiste in 2002.
With Baptiste’s Republican machine still in place and working side by side with the entrenched Democratic operatives Carvalho will be hard to beat and a low turnout Saturday could even put him over the required 50% needed to avoid the November runoff.
Yukimura’s report indicates the campaign is struggling financially but has received a boost in recent days and weeks as more and more local grassroots and community organizations have endorsed her.
The question is if she can turn out the vote,, especially the “I’m not voting for any of those creeps” crowd.
Her spurt has seemingly whip-sawed her past Rapozo as many of her disappointed old friends and supporters found nowhere else to go if they hope to dislodge denizens of the recesses of the county-insiders’ bunker.
But she is in serious money trouble if she keeps Carvalho under a majority with a slightly negative case flow after somehow spending $73,616.65 already.
Yukimura’s list of contributors from 7/17- 9/5 – like Carvalho’s and Rapozo’s 7/16- 9/4 list have a dearth of the required employer and industry information the campaign filing laws require if possible.
But for those who recognize the names the trends are pretty indicative of Rapozo and Carvalho’s old boy network support vs. Yukimura’s comparatively grassroots support
The bright spot money-wise for Yukimura might be that the listed donations were received before the Sept. 4 filing deadline which preceded many of the endorsements from the likes of the Sierra Club, the Kaua`i Museletter and even surprisingly enough PNN. And many of her contributors have not “maxed out” at the $2000 limit as many of Carvalho’s developer,. government and real estate contributors.
As to Rapozo’s filing Rapozo he’s sitting flush having collected 67,106.45 with 27,460.24 in cash left.
The question is, what is he saving it for.
He’s been hurt by various factors including the Yukimura surge and the publication of the book KPD Blue where voters were reminded- or in some cases first informed- of his involvement in the infamous “lap dancing at the station house” incident in 1995 which led to Rapozo’s ousting from the Kaua`i Police Department.
As a frequent administration critic Rapozo has relied on his image as a fighter and crusader to clean up county government and this strikes at his core. It’s what has distinguished him from both Carvalho who IS the embodiment of the Batiste reign and Yukimura whose compromising “no talk stink” persona has emerged in her six-year-council-seat stint and political comeback after being ousted from the mayor’s seat in 1994.
But when all is said and done Rapozo probably lost the election with his high profile blogging fight against the “dog path”.
By the time he came to his senses and stopped his blog not only had he lost votes but, because Carvalho was the administration official who actually banned the dogs on the bike path, the hurt was doubled because all his votes went to Yukimura who was careful not to get too involved in the issue too much except in her typical “make everyone happy” manner.
For many dog enthusiasts this is a one issue election now and they didn’t just turn to Yukimura but did so, well, enthusiastically.
And in the final analysis since Rapozo and Yukimura are essentially sharing the anti Baptiste/anti-Carvalho vote, JoAnn is picking up virtually every vote he loses. That may even be enough to push her into a virtual tie with Carvalho assuming Rapozo’s support is, as it appears, in free fall.
We urge anyone undecided to click on and check out the list of contributors for each candidate if you want to know who the candidate “represents”. It’s far more informative than things like the local newspaper’s regurgitation of old articles, fluff questions, useless information and splashy advertising that tried to pass itself off as an voters’ election guide this past Sunday.
All in all it’s been quite a boring race with all four candidates’ platitudes and stump-rhetoric replacing hard stands on the issue. That and a distinct lack of the usual sign-stealing charges smear campaigns and the like is disappointing to any political junkie.
But if it turns out as we predict there should be a pretty good two-way race to November 4.
A lawsuit on Maui has been filed but judges have been consistently ruling against anything that will change this year’s un-official, official election procedures no matter how arbitrary and capricious... although the case is on appeal.
And so, as has been ubiquitously reported, one potential screwup-waiting-to-happen is that the votes will go directly via phone lines from the electronic voting equipment “cards” to the State Capitol for counting without even being recorded first, leaving room for all sorts of mischief.
But PNN has learned today that Kaua`i votes haven’t been tabulated or even recorded on island in the last 10 years and have rather been electronically transmitted to Honolulu for tabulation and first release.
In answer to PNN’s queries as to whether, as usual, the county would hand out the totals to the gaggle of reporters and campaign operatives that usually gathers at the county building on election eve, Deputy County Clerk Ernie Passion said they haven’t done the tabulations here at least since he got here in 1998.
Rather they’ve let the machines send them to Honolulu where they were electronically shipped back here and printed out for the gathered.
This doesn’t mean they ever had the required Chapter 91 Administrative Rules for the procedures, as attorney Lance Collins states in the Maui lawsuit. It just means they’ve been doing it illegally for a long time now.
Those who want to be among the very first to get the vote totals on Saturday can click here and bookmark the site. Then on Saturday around 7 p.m. you can go there and keep hitting “refresh” to get the up to the minute results.
And speaking of telling people where to go, this Saturday’s Special Mayoral Election appears to be a two way race between Bernard Carvalho ad JoAnn Yukimura for first place with Mel Rapozo trailing badly according to the PNN’s coconut-wireless totally-not-based-on-anything-but-a-hunch poll.
Our guess is that Carvalho will come in with about 40% with Yukimura coming in at about 35%, Rapozo around 20% and Rolf Bieber pulling in about 5%.
It doesn’t take a genius to see where most of the old boy support is because Carvalho’s first campaign spending report is in and he leads the cash race collecting a whopping $132 562.41 from July 8 through September 5 of which he still has $46,877. 36
And his list of contributors contains the names of virtually every Kaua`i county department head and a slew of county employees indicating that the old boys know who will put shoyu on their rice.
Click on the contributors list for an eyeful especially the fact that the identification of the people giving him money for the most part is sorely lacking... not that the others have any more details.
Carvalho has taken the Rose Garden approach so far and seemingly successfully when you look at his list of supporters which includes many Democratic Party stalwarts that supported Yukimura 20 years ago as well as the big business biggies that Ron Kouchi drew in his losing campaign against Bryan Baptiste in 2002.
With Baptiste’s Republican machine still in place and working side by side with the entrenched Democratic operatives Carvalho will be hard to beat and a low turnout Saturday could even put him over the required 50% needed to avoid the November runoff.
Yukimura’s report indicates the campaign is struggling financially but has received a boost in recent days and weeks as more and more local grassroots and community organizations have endorsed her.
The question is if she can turn out the vote,, especially the “I’m not voting for any of those creeps” crowd.
Her spurt has seemingly whip-sawed her past Rapozo as many of her disappointed old friends and supporters found nowhere else to go if they hope to dislodge denizens of the recesses of the county-insiders’ bunker.
But she is in serious money trouble if she keeps Carvalho under a majority with a slightly negative case flow after somehow spending $73,616.65 already.
Yukimura’s list of contributors from 7/17- 9/5 – like Carvalho’s and Rapozo’s 7/16- 9/4 list have a dearth of the required employer and industry information the campaign filing laws require if possible.
But for those who recognize the names the trends are pretty indicative of Rapozo and Carvalho’s old boy network support vs. Yukimura’s comparatively grassroots support
The bright spot money-wise for Yukimura might be that the listed donations were received before the Sept. 4 filing deadline which preceded many of the endorsements from the likes of the Sierra Club, the Kaua`i Museletter and even surprisingly enough PNN. And many of her contributors have not “maxed out” at the $2000 limit as many of Carvalho’s developer,. government and real estate contributors.
As to Rapozo’s filing Rapozo he’s sitting flush having collected 67,106.45 with 27,460.24 in cash left.
The question is, what is he saving it for.
He’s been hurt by various factors including the Yukimura surge and the publication of the book KPD Blue where voters were reminded- or in some cases first informed- of his involvement in the infamous “lap dancing at the station house” incident in 1995 which led to Rapozo’s ousting from the Kaua`i Police Department.
As a frequent administration critic Rapozo has relied on his image as a fighter and crusader to clean up county government and this strikes at his core. It’s what has distinguished him from both Carvalho who IS the embodiment of the Batiste reign and Yukimura whose compromising “no talk stink” persona has emerged in her six-year-council-seat stint and political comeback after being ousted from the mayor’s seat in 1994.
But when all is said and done Rapozo probably lost the election with his high profile blogging fight against the “dog path”.
By the time he came to his senses and stopped his blog not only had he lost votes but, because Carvalho was the administration official who actually banned the dogs on the bike path, the hurt was doubled because all his votes went to Yukimura who was careful not to get too involved in the issue too much except in her typical “make everyone happy” manner.
For many dog enthusiasts this is a one issue election now and they didn’t just turn to Yukimura but did so, well, enthusiastically.
And in the final analysis since Rapozo and Yukimura are essentially sharing the anti Baptiste/anti-Carvalho vote, JoAnn is picking up virtually every vote he loses. That may even be enough to push her into a virtual tie with Carvalho assuming Rapozo’s support is, as it appears, in free fall.
We urge anyone undecided to click on and check out the list of contributors for each candidate if you want to know who the candidate “represents”. It’s far more informative than things like the local newspaper’s regurgitation of old articles, fluff questions, useless information and splashy advertising that tried to pass itself off as an voters’ election guide this past Sunday.
All in all it’s been quite a boring race with all four candidates’ platitudes and stump-rhetoric replacing hard stands on the issue. That and a distinct lack of the usual sign-stealing charges smear campaigns and the like is disappointing to any political junkie.
But if it turns out as we predict there should be a pretty good two-way race to November 4.
Monday, September 15, 2008
DIGGIN’ IN THE CESSPOOL
DIGGIN’ IN THE CESSPOOL: A few light bulbs went on when the inner machinations of the nepotism and cronyism in Kaua`i county government were revealed as never before at last week’s council meeting after a little known recent ploy by the council came to fruition.
Trying to find out exactly how and why the county hires people has been a mystifying process for as long as the Kaua`i has had a government, especially in the mammoth Department of Public Works and more so in its Solid Waste Division.... that and why they always seem to be incompetent
Threatened council audits and investigations have been aborted attempts at accountability for 10 years although most suspected what exposition of the scheme would reveal..
But during this year’s budget discussions the council finally included in the ordinance a requirement that, when the administration changes a council-funded position to another job, they must at least notify the council.
And the first such transfer was contained in a brief communication (2008-256) requesting a “reallocation” of the position of a “Solid Waste Program Assistant (SWPA)” to a position for a “Senior Account Clerk”.
Solid Waste’s Personnel Director Crystal Fujikawa, flanked by Personnel Director Mel Fernandez, sat before the council and was asked to explain why they were asking for a change a mere three months after they requested the SWPA in the budget that the council approved..
Fujikawa explained that since the SWPA had left the job- although she amazingly couldn’t remember when- this change was a “downward reallocation” to an “entry level” position, raising some eyebrows and objections, especially from the Council Vice Chair, mayoral candidate Mel Rapozo and his ally Shaylene Iseri Carvalho.
“We just budgeted that position” said Iseri. And knowing how badly the Solid Waste Division have been in need of expertise she wondered aloud why personnel didn’t recruit for and fill the position instead of hiring just a clerk.
What Fujikawa said next reveled the true nature of cronyism in Kaua`i government and showed exactly how powerful the mayor is in terms of patronage even though legally he or she only gets to hire department heads.
According to Fujikawa when a county position opens up the first thing they do is to try to see if there is a current county employee with the required expertise who wants to fill it. Nothing wrong with that, as all councilmembers agreed.
But then, if there is no county employee with the specific qualifications who wants the job, instead of trying to recruit someone qualified to fill the position from those on the island or, if not, elsewhere- one who might be able to, as Rapozo said, “hit the ground running”- the county simply eliminates the skilled position and downgrades it to fit the qualifications of the employee they want to promote or hire.
And, if necessary they’ll even make it an entry level job to accommodate someone’s auntie or uncle... or campaign supporter.
And while this type of decision is at the discretion of the department head it’s the mayor who gives- or can instantly take away- the department heads their job.
According to Fujikawa it usually takes at least a year or two to “train” the new person, assuming they have the ability to learn the new job in the first pace.
In the case of the SWPA the job requires at least a year of solid waste experience. Give how important such a position is- especially with the solid waste crisis in the county being such that it caused the approval of another reluctant expansion of the Kekaha landfill at the same meeting- the council funded it in a budget line item.
And if not for the new notification law, as in past years the council and the public would never have known about the plans to hire a clerk instead.
Rapozo was livid. “So we don’t even try to find out if there’s someone on the island that’s qualified to take the job?” he asked. “That makes no sense.”
“They do this so they can pick someone they want that doesn’t have the requirements.” he concluded.
Iseri was equally aghast at the revelation as she wondered aloud if the system is such that, someone applies, they are told they’re not qualified and then they lower the standard for the position so someone else can get the job even though they’re not qualified and can't actually do the job.
“It’s a very unfair process for the pubic that does want county jobs” said Iseri.
Council Chair Jay Furfaro was equally if not more outraged because it happened to someone in his family who applied for a skilled planning position was and told she was unqualified. Now, with the same qualifications, she works in that same area of expertise on Maui.
But this is certainly nothing new for anyone who has been paying attention over the years.
Glenn Mickens came up to the hot seat Wednesday to tell the story of Troy Tanigawa, current head of our Solid Waste Division. Back in the adolescent years of our solid waste crisis in the mid 90’s he was the young relative of a big supporter of then Mayor Maryanne Kusaka.
When Kusaka took over from former mayor, now councilperson and mayoral candidate JoAnn Yukimura, one of her first moves was to fire Yukimura’s solid waste people who had put together a solid waste management plan and were just ready to implement it after having to take two years off from implementation due to Hurricane `Iniki.
Kusaka had convinced the council to move from “line item” budgeting to a “program based” budget allowing her to shift around finds within departments willy-nilly. And one shift was to put the young, unskilled, untrained Tanigawa in charge of the Solid Waste Division where he remains today.
Famed Kaua`i activist Ray Chuan used to refer to Tanigawa as one of Kusaka’s “chosen people- the untouchables” as he railed against Troy’s appointment and bumbling incompetence at council meetings for years.
Finally Kusaka agreed, not that she would fill the position with someone competent but, that she would “send Troy back to school” and teach him how to do the job... while he remained in the position..
And of course she never did this but Tanigawa has remained in the position for the last 14 years throughout the Baptiste administration too. And so of course we are now not just ankle or waist deep in rubbish but up to our eyeballs, all under Tanigawa.
We can only hope for someone who will clean out the barn when the new mayor takes over in November. Many assume that will be the case under Rapozo or Yukimura. But if you like things the way they are Bernard Carvalho can be counted on to keep the same people under the same patronage system to stay in office for 10 years and hiring in his own cronies as is the tradition.
Of course if the proposal for a “county manager” system gets some wings over the next two years as letter-to-the-editor writer Larry Arruda says in today’s local paper, that may not be the case.
We’ll leave you with his words.
Even as much as 15 to 20 years ago, many times while visiting here at home on Kaua`i, I would mention to my parents or to friends that I would like to come home and work for the county. Their response to me was always the same, “You gotta know somebody to get in.”
However, I’m sure that all of the council realize that anything and everything that was said will not change anything.
After watching Kaua`i Council meetings for almost six years, it is very obvious to me that the County Council very seldom has any power and any say so over the administration and/or staff. There is no continuity, and because of that, there is no accountability.
After working for a very organized city in California for 30 years, I can guarantee that this would not happen if the County of Kauai’s was governed under a county manager type of government.
Trying to find out exactly how and why the county hires people has been a mystifying process for as long as the Kaua`i has had a government, especially in the mammoth Department of Public Works and more so in its Solid Waste Division.... that and why they always seem to be incompetent
Threatened council audits and investigations have been aborted attempts at accountability for 10 years although most suspected what exposition of the scheme would reveal..
But during this year’s budget discussions the council finally included in the ordinance a requirement that, when the administration changes a council-funded position to another job, they must at least notify the council.
And the first such transfer was contained in a brief communication (2008-256) requesting a “reallocation” of the position of a “Solid Waste Program Assistant (SWPA)” to a position for a “Senior Account Clerk”.
Solid Waste’s Personnel Director Crystal Fujikawa, flanked by Personnel Director Mel Fernandez, sat before the council and was asked to explain why they were asking for a change a mere three months after they requested the SWPA in the budget that the council approved..
Fujikawa explained that since the SWPA had left the job- although she amazingly couldn’t remember when- this change was a “downward reallocation” to an “entry level” position, raising some eyebrows and objections, especially from the Council Vice Chair, mayoral candidate Mel Rapozo and his ally Shaylene Iseri Carvalho.
“We just budgeted that position” said Iseri. And knowing how badly the Solid Waste Division have been in need of expertise she wondered aloud why personnel didn’t recruit for and fill the position instead of hiring just a clerk.
What Fujikawa said next reveled the true nature of cronyism in Kaua`i government and showed exactly how powerful the mayor is in terms of patronage even though legally he or she only gets to hire department heads.
According to Fujikawa when a county position opens up the first thing they do is to try to see if there is a current county employee with the required expertise who wants to fill it. Nothing wrong with that, as all councilmembers agreed.
But then, if there is no county employee with the specific qualifications who wants the job, instead of trying to recruit someone qualified to fill the position from those on the island or, if not, elsewhere- one who might be able to, as Rapozo said, “hit the ground running”- the county simply eliminates the skilled position and downgrades it to fit the qualifications of the employee they want to promote or hire.
And, if necessary they’ll even make it an entry level job to accommodate someone’s auntie or uncle... or campaign supporter.
And while this type of decision is at the discretion of the department head it’s the mayor who gives- or can instantly take away- the department heads their job.
According to Fujikawa it usually takes at least a year or two to “train” the new person, assuming they have the ability to learn the new job in the first pace.
In the case of the SWPA the job requires at least a year of solid waste experience. Give how important such a position is- especially with the solid waste crisis in the county being such that it caused the approval of another reluctant expansion of the Kekaha landfill at the same meeting- the council funded it in a budget line item.
And if not for the new notification law, as in past years the council and the public would never have known about the plans to hire a clerk instead.
Rapozo was livid. “So we don’t even try to find out if there’s someone on the island that’s qualified to take the job?” he asked. “That makes no sense.”
“They do this so they can pick someone they want that doesn’t have the requirements.” he concluded.
Iseri was equally aghast at the revelation as she wondered aloud if the system is such that, someone applies, they are told they’re not qualified and then they lower the standard for the position so someone else can get the job even though they’re not qualified and can't actually do the job.
“It’s a very unfair process for the pubic that does want county jobs” said Iseri.
Council Chair Jay Furfaro was equally if not more outraged because it happened to someone in his family who applied for a skilled planning position was and told she was unqualified. Now, with the same qualifications, she works in that same area of expertise on Maui.
But this is certainly nothing new for anyone who has been paying attention over the years.
Glenn Mickens came up to the hot seat Wednesday to tell the story of Troy Tanigawa, current head of our Solid Waste Division. Back in the adolescent years of our solid waste crisis in the mid 90’s he was the young relative of a big supporter of then Mayor Maryanne Kusaka.
When Kusaka took over from former mayor, now councilperson and mayoral candidate JoAnn Yukimura, one of her first moves was to fire Yukimura’s solid waste people who had put together a solid waste management plan and were just ready to implement it after having to take two years off from implementation due to Hurricane `Iniki.
Kusaka had convinced the council to move from “line item” budgeting to a “program based” budget allowing her to shift around finds within departments willy-nilly. And one shift was to put the young, unskilled, untrained Tanigawa in charge of the Solid Waste Division where he remains today.
Famed Kaua`i activist Ray Chuan used to refer to Tanigawa as one of Kusaka’s “chosen people- the untouchables” as he railed against Troy’s appointment and bumbling incompetence at council meetings for years.
Finally Kusaka agreed, not that she would fill the position with someone competent but, that she would “send Troy back to school” and teach him how to do the job... while he remained in the position..
And of course she never did this but Tanigawa has remained in the position for the last 14 years throughout the Baptiste administration too. And so of course we are now not just ankle or waist deep in rubbish but up to our eyeballs, all under Tanigawa.
We can only hope for someone who will clean out the barn when the new mayor takes over in November. Many assume that will be the case under Rapozo or Yukimura. But if you like things the way they are Bernard Carvalho can be counted on to keep the same people under the same patronage system to stay in office for 10 years and hiring in his own cronies as is the tradition.
Of course if the proposal for a “county manager” system gets some wings over the next two years as letter-to-the-editor writer Larry Arruda says in today’s local paper, that may not be the case.
We’ll leave you with his words.
Even as much as 15 to 20 years ago, many times while visiting here at home on Kaua`i, I would mention to my parents or to friends that I would like to come home and work for the county. Their response to me was always the same, “You gotta know somebody to get in.”
However, I’m sure that all of the council realize that anything and everything that was said will not change anything.
After watching Kaua`i Council meetings for almost six years, it is very obvious to me that the County Council very seldom has any power and any say so over the administration and/or staff. There is no continuity, and because of that, there is no accountability.
After working for a very organized city in California for 30 years, I can guarantee that this would not happen if the County of Kauai’s was governed under a county manager type of government.
Monday, August 4, 2008
CHECK FOR TICKS WHILE YOU’RE AT IT, LYNDON
CHECK FOR TICKS WHILE YOU’RE AT IT, LYNDON: It could have been a Hamlet ending with bodies strewn over the county building lawn but instead it’s Much Ado About Nothing and All’s Well That Ends Well for mayoral candidate Mel Rapozo who, the Kaua`i Elections office conformed today after our request , did indeed withdraw in writing from the County Council race before filing for mayor.
Rapozo’s withdrawal letter was dated, received and time-stamped on July 7 at 12:29 p.m., the same day he “pulled” his papers to run in this year’s special mayoral election. He filed his papers to run for Mayor at 2:13 p.m. on July 22, the day of the filing deadline.
Rapozo’s filing status was complicated by Hawai`i Chief Election’s Office Kevin Cronin’s recent ruling that all withdrawals must be in writing.
Also. as many predicted, Rapozo has apparently joined all the others in the politician-blogger graveyard by abandoning the blog he started on March 9. His last post was on June 27 (hey who had 3 months 18 days in the pool) after the site became a magnet for crazies on both sides of the “dog path” debate drawing 202 comments, some threatening his personal safety in addition to his electoral status.
But Rapozo does have the edge in the money race as of June 30 , according to the latest numbers released by candidates as posted at the Campaign Spending Commission’s “Standard Reports” web site
As of the last day of June Rapozo had $11,988.96 in his campaign war chest but that amount is just a smidgen more than the $11,578.77 it appears that his opponent Joann Yukimura has.
We say “it appears” because although all the various reports of the particulars of her finances are posted, her main “disclosure report” is missing. We do have a request in to the commission for that paperwork but had to “do the math” adding her “surplus” from Dec. 13, 2007 to her “contributions” and subtracting her “expenditures”.
Bernard Carvalho and Rolf Bieber II, the third and fourth candidates in he mayor’s race, did not file reports because as of June 30-eight days after the death of Mayor Baptiste- neither had become candidates.
But some of the amounts of “surplus” reported by council candidates are in for those who are incumbents or announced earlier than the deadline for filing.
In the Council race most candidates did not have a campaign as of June 30 so did not file. But for many that did there is a hole in their bucket- some quite large for one reason or another.
The champion debtor is incumbent Tim Bynum who reported a deficit of $12,572.47 much of it apparently after buying all his various bumper stickers yard signs and the like.
Next is Jay Furfaro who is indented to the tune of $8,555.86.
We’re not sure what is going on with KipuKai Kualii, who officially reports he is $4,006.07 in the hole but if we read it right he’s actually is in the black by amount. He loaned himself $9493.54 and collected $5,030.00 but spent $9,036.07 according to his report. Another problem is that he doesn’t detail who gave him the money in his report.
Another one complicated, like Yukimura, by his lack of posting of a main disclosure form is Derrick Kawakami who between he and his “Big Save” immediate family members loaned his campaign $11,107. He received $1250 in contributions and spent $7142.94 which should leave him with 3,965.06 and would make his the richest candidate in not only personal; and campaign wealth.
Kaipo Asing is also in the red to the tune of $1,350.00 but that appears to be a long standing debt.
Joining Asing are Ron Agor who has a $55.84 debt and Darryl Kaneshiro at a minus $40.55, both apparently from previous campaigns although neither filed for this year.
Those is in the black include Ron Kouchi who, even though he apparently had over $23,00 at one time, is down to $2,951.89- although his “expenses” report is mysteriously missing.
Then there’s Christobel Kealoha who has $1,351.00 and finally Bruce Pleas whose $84.94 surplus from his last campaign is still there.
The rest as we said did not file except for Nancy McMahon who filed for public financing although she didn’t report any money collected in qualifying contributions.
We’ll be doing a little more digging in the near future and list some of the more eyebrow raising contributions and expenses but it is important to note that some who are in debt already paid for a lot of their campaign materials and even advertising while those that are flush might not have.
Anyone who really wants to shovel out the barn can visit the reports at the Campaign Spending Commission’s “Standard Report” page.
And don’t forget to go to the Eco-Roundtable Candidate Forum’s tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at 5:30 at the Convention Hall.
Rapozo’s withdrawal letter was dated, received and time-stamped on July 7 at 12:29 p.m., the same day he “pulled” his papers to run in this year’s special mayoral election. He filed his papers to run for Mayor at 2:13 p.m. on July 22, the day of the filing deadline.
Rapozo’s filing status was complicated by Hawai`i Chief Election’s Office Kevin Cronin’s recent ruling that all withdrawals must be in writing.
Also. as many predicted, Rapozo has apparently joined all the others in the politician-blogger graveyard by abandoning the blog he started on March 9. His last post was on June 27 (hey who had 3 months 18 days in the pool) after the site became a magnet for crazies on both sides of the “dog path” debate drawing 202 comments, some threatening his personal safety in addition to his electoral status.
But Rapozo does have the edge in the money race as of June 30 , according to the latest numbers released by candidates as posted at the Campaign Spending Commission’s “Standard Reports” web site
As of the last day of June Rapozo had $11,988.96 in his campaign war chest but that amount is just a smidgen more than the $11,578.77 it appears that his opponent Joann Yukimura has.
We say “it appears” because although all the various reports of the particulars of her finances are posted, her main “disclosure report” is missing. We do have a request in to the commission for that paperwork but had to “do the math” adding her “surplus” from Dec. 13, 2007 to her “contributions” and subtracting her “expenditures”.
Bernard Carvalho and Rolf Bieber II, the third and fourth candidates in he mayor’s race, did not file reports because as of June 30-eight days after the death of Mayor Baptiste- neither had become candidates.
But some of the amounts of “surplus” reported by council candidates are in for those who are incumbents or announced earlier than the deadline for filing.
In the Council race most candidates did not have a campaign as of June 30 so did not file. But for many that did there is a hole in their bucket- some quite large for one reason or another.
The champion debtor is incumbent Tim Bynum who reported a deficit of $12,572.47 much of it apparently after buying all his various bumper stickers yard signs and the like.
Next is Jay Furfaro who is indented to the tune of $8,555.86.
We’re not sure what is going on with KipuKai Kualii, who officially reports he is $4,006.07 in the hole but if we read it right he’s actually is in the black by amount. He loaned himself $9493.54 and collected $5,030.00 but spent $9,036.07 according to his report. Another problem is that he doesn’t detail who gave him the money in his report.
Another one complicated, like Yukimura, by his lack of posting of a main disclosure form is Derrick Kawakami who between he and his “Big Save” immediate family members loaned his campaign $11,107. He received $1250 in contributions and spent $7142.94 which should leave him with 3,965.06 and would make his the richest candidate in not only personal; and campaign wealth.
Kaipo Asing is also in the red to the tune of $1,350.00 but that appears to be a long standing debt.
Joining Asing are Ron Agor who has a $55.84 debt and Darryl Kaneshiro at a minus $40.55, both apparently from previous campaigns although neither filed for this year.
Those is in the black include Ron Kouchi who, even though he apparently had over $23,00 at one time, is down to $2,951.89- although his “expenses” report is mysteriously missing.
Then there’s Christobel Kealoha who has $1,351.00 and finally Bruce Pleas whose $84.94 surplus from his last campaign is still there.
The rest as we said did not file except for Nancy McMahon who filed for public financing although she didn’t report any money collected in qualifying contributions.
We’ll be doing a little more digging in the near future and list some of the more eyebrow raising contributions and expenses but it is important to note that some who are in debt already paid for a lot of their campaign materials and even advertising while those that are flush might not have.
Anyone who really wants to shovel out the barn can visit the reports at the Campaign Spending Commission’s “Standard Report” page.
And don’t forget to go to the Eco-Roundtable Candidate Forum’s tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at 5:30 at the Convention Hall.
Monday, July 28, 2008
THE BITE ISN’T BLEEDING MUCH AND AW, HE’S SO CUTE
THE BITE ISN’T BLEEDING MUCH AND AW, HE’S SO CUTE: We’ve got a buddy who never tires of asking us, in referring to our apparent obsession with Kaua`i politics, “So, you still got your nose in the cesspool?”.
And apparently it was all for naught when for a few days we took on the absurd machinations of the “City and County” only to hear “so now you’ve got your nose in a bigger cesspool”
Perhaps our fascination with our leader’s excrement is because of this penchant of much of the citizenry to excuse our government officials with the basketball cliché of “no blood, no foul” when confronted with the a level of lawlessness that is apparently ok unless our personal ox is actually killed, not merely gored.
Yesterday we got an email from a usually astute observer who said it didn’t matter who exactly was being replaced in the Honolulu Hale filing deadline fiasco we focused on over the past few days because they had already chosen a replacement candidate.
And today, in an appropriately entitled piece “Phew, Somebody Forgot to Flush” former Honolulu Star Bulletin Editor and current Advertiser blogger Dave Shapiro detailed some of the story- without shedding any new light- regarding the events Tuesday and since.
But instead of squeezing off a bit of his usual righteous indignation he ended his piece by saying
But let’s be real: What are the chances that Democratic patronage workers are going to tell the House Democratic majority leader who is supported by the Democratic mayor of Honolulu that he can’t run.
Then today, in another plop in the potty, Honolulu Advertiser reporter and blogger Derrick DePledge detailed the latest flouting of the law, this time by the state’s Chief Elections Officer Kevin Cronin.
It appears Cronin didn’t bother to - and wasn’t apparently bothered by the fact that he failed to- fulfill the requirements for his job by failing to register to vote when he came here from Wisconsin in February.
When, after a tip, DePledge asked Cronin if he was indeed “a registered voter of the State” as the law states he must be, Cronin reportedly replied “It was one of those things that I never got around to doing, Thank you for reminding me.”
You would expect the outrage would be gushing like an open artery not only at the lawless arrogance and stupidity but the fact that Cronin- who was ultimately responsible for the Tuesday screw ups- is being sued over his awarding of a contract to a Hart Election Systems that bid $41 million to count our votes instead of a $19 million ES&S bid and apparently he made the decision knowing he didn’t validly hold the job... a point we expect ES&S to raise in court.
Cronin reportedly has had prior associations with Hart and ESS was the preferred contractor under former Chief Elections Office Dwayne Yoshina who was replaced, many observers say, due to partisan-based political maneuverings by the current administration.
But among the comments in DePledge’s blog was one that voices the who cares mantra with clarity
First “Bryan” expressed the requisite minimal indignation by saying:
Never got around to doing, what a load of crock!!... This tells us 1 of 2 things, either Cronin is hiding something (maybe his resident status back in Wisconisin) or he is just too stupid to understand the law. Either one dosn’t look good for us voters.
But “Jane” was seemingly unfazed saying:
Isn’t it a requirement by the State of Hawaii for new employees to sign a Declaration of Residency? I had to. If Cronin did this, the whole issues is much ado about nothing. Maybe he was waiting to find permanent residency, maybe... other election issues took precedent- expand your mind Bryon and don’t be so pessimistic.. the failing of Hawaiian schools-now that is something to be concerned about.
The fact is that if Cronin was not a registered voter until now, he could not have legally held the job. And if he never legally held the job he could not have legally and officially made the decisions attributed to him. All actions done in his capacity as Chief Elections Officer should be null and void.
What is it that rouses the rabble when hearing someone stuffed a boar’s head in the toilet amongst the graffiti in the brand-new, always-filthy, county bathrooms in Kealia but keeps us ho-humming it all when everyone from the president to the three pig-headed law-breakers running for Kaua`i Mayor take a dump on our law books?
It’s bad enough when they actually pull off their crimes and no one cares. But the worst may be when an official’s illegal actions don’t accomplish the deed-most-foul they had in mind and so people think it’s time to “move on”.
If I’m doing 80 in a school zone I don’t get to “move on” just because I didn’t hit a kid. If I try to rob a bank and don’t get any money the FBI won’t send me along my merry way..
Are we still so ingrained with plantation mentality that we allow our mucky mucks to do whatever they want as long as their corrupt attempts use their office to gain advantage fail?
Don’t answer Ralphie-boy- Norton can’t hear you down here in the sewer.
And apparently it was all for naught when for a few days we took on the absurd machinations of the “City and County” only to hear “so now you’ve got your nose in a bigger cesspool”
Perhaps our fascination with our leader’s excrement is because of this penchant of much of the citizenry to excuse our government officials with the basketball cliché of “no blood, no foul” when confronted with the a level of lawlessness that is apparently ok unless our personal ox is actually killed, not merely gored.
Yesterday we got an email from a usually astute observer who said it didn’t matter who exactly was being replaced in the Honolulu Hale filing deadline fiasco we focused on over the past few days because they had already chosen a replacement candidate.
And today, in an appropriately entitled piece “Phew, Somebody Forgot to Flush” former Honolulu Star Bulletin Editor and current Advertiser blogger Dave Shapiro detailed some of the story- without shedding any new light- regarding the events Tuesday and since.
But instead of squeezing off a bit of his usual righteous indignation he ended his piece by saying
But let’s be real: What are the chances that Democratic patronage workers are going to tell the House Democratic majority leader who is supported by the Democratic mayor of Honolulu that he can’t run.
Then today, in another plop in the potty, Honolulu Advertiser reporter and blogger Derrick DePledge detailed the latest flouting of the law, this time by the state’s Chief Elections Officer Kevin Cronin.
It appears Cronin didn’t bother to - and wasn’t apparently bothered by the fact that he failed to- fulfill the requirements for his job by failing to register to vote when he came here from Wisconsin in February.
When, after a tip, DePledge asked Cronin if he was indeed “a registered voter of the State” as the law states he must be, Cronin reportedly replied “It was one of those things that I never got around to doing, Thank you for reminding me.”
You would expect the outrage would be gushing like an open artery not only at the lawless arrogance and stupidity but the fact that Cronin- who was ultimately responsible for the Tuesday screw ups- is being sued over his awarding of a contract to a Hart Election Systems that bid $41 million to count our votes instead of a $19 million ES&S bid and apparently he made the decision knowing he didn’t validly hold the job... a point we expect ES&S to raise in court.
Cronin reportedly has had prior associations with Hart and ESS was the preferred contractor under former Chief Elections Office Dwayne Yoshina who was replaced, many observers say, due to partisan-based political maneuverings by the current administration.
But among the comments in DePledge’s blog was one that voices the who cares mantra with clarity
First “Bryan” expressed the requisite minimal indignation by saying:
Never got around to doing, what a load of crock!!... This tells us 1 of 2 things, either Cronin is hiding something (maybe his resident status back in Wisconisin) or he is just too stupid to understand the law. Either one dosn’t look good for us voters.
But “Jane” was seemingly unfazed saying:
Isn’t it a requirement by the State of Hawaii for new employees to sign a Declaration of Residency? I had to. If Cronin did this, the whole issues is much ado about nothing. Maybe he was waiting to find permanent residency, maybe... other election issues took precedent- expand your mind Bryon and don’t be so pessimistic.. the failing of Hawaiian schools-now that is something to be concerned about.
The fact is that if Cronin was not a registered voter until now, he could not have legally held the job. And if he never legally held the job he could not have legally and officially made the decisions attributed to him. All actions done in his capacity as Chief Elections Officer should be null and void.
What is it that rouses the rabble when hearing someone stuffed a boar’s head in the toilet amongst the graffiti in the brand-new, always-filthy, county bathrooms in Kealia but keeps us ho-humming it all when everyone from the president to the three pig-headed law-breakers running for Kaua`i Mayor take a dump on our law books?
It’s bad enough when they actually pull off their crimes and no one cares. But the worst may be when an official’s illegal actions don’t accomplish the deed-most-foul they had in mind and so people think it’s time to “move on”.
If I’m doing 80 in a school zone I don’t get to “move on” just because I didn’t hit a kid. If I try to rob a bank and don’t get any money the FBI won’t send me along my merry way..
Are we still so ingrained with plantation mentality that we allow our mucky mucks to do whatever they want as long as their corrupt attempts use their office to gain advantage fail?
Don’t answer Ralphie-boy- Norton can’t hear you down here in the sewer.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
IN THE GATES
IN THE GATES: A fourth Mayoral candidate filed papers to run yesterday but we’ll be damned if anyone knows who he is.
Rolf H Bieber of Malie Rd in Kapa`a pulled and submitted his papers yesterday to run in the special election to fill the shoes of the late Mayor Bryan Baptiste but despite a cursory search and a few phone calls we’ve come up blank on anything about him other than that there is a Rolf and a son Rolf II and they have a long mainland genealogy.
But the surprise is that sometime between Saturday afternoon and Monday Darryl Kaneshiro changed his mind about running for council... maybe.
He took out his papers Monday but didn’t file them, leaving us to ponder for a few more hours what his presence in the race would do to the chances of others.
And it’s now official- Scott Mijares of Kilauea is in the council race after filing him papers on Monday.
And saving the best news for last, community activist and advocate Linda Saloka-Pasadava also of Kilauea is thinking of throwing her hat into the ring.
As President of the Kilauea Neighborhood Association Pasadava, as she goes by, was an instrumental party to the suit that brought a multi million dollar judgment against alleged murderer Jimmy Pflueger (come on- sue us Jimmy... pretty please?) in the Ka Loko dam break and is active in other public interest matters such as fighting to insure and secure public access during expansion plans for Kilauea Point Wildlife refuge.
She also ran for a seat on the KIUC Board in 2006 but didn’t finish in the money.
Based on nothing but speculation, one wonders whether the DLNR’s recent imposition of fees for ministers performing beach weddings has spurred Pasadava to seek office since it appears she “is a state licensed non denominational minister who has been uniting couples for over 12 years (and) she offers non-denominational and Christian ceremonies” at beaches around the island according to her web site “Just a Minister on Kaua`i”, http://www.justaministeronkauai.com/ which for some reason has a block on being able to copy information.
Hopefully that doesn’t signal a willingness to keep information from public view if she takes office.
Linda is just the kind of candidate Kaua`i needs- someone who has been active in the community and knows the issues and works for the public interest.
Her experience as KNA President shows that she’s the kind of person not just dedicated to community well-being and interests but someone who can bring people together- and get elected to arguably the most active and successful neighborhood association on Kaua`i.
We certainly hope she gets their papers in today, adding another name to the apparent good public interest governance slate.
Same goes for Darryl Kaneshiro whom we have supported in the past due to his penchant for honest and open discussion of the issues and his rare ability – in a politician at least- to be “convincible” when the facts warrant it.
And Mel Rapozo still hasn’t filed for mayor.
Today at 4:30 is the filing deadline but we’re not sure how quickly the final filings will be reported. If it’s not timely we’ll surely have a wrap on the beginning of what promises to be one of the most lively campaign seasons on Kaua`i in a long time.
Rolf H Bieber of Malie Rd in Kapa`a pulled and submitted his papers yesterday to run in the special election to fill the shoes of the late Mayor Bryan Baptiste but despite a cursory search and a few phone calls we’ve come up blank on anything about him other than that there is a Rolf and a son Rolf II and they have a long mainland genealogy.
But the surprise is that sometime between Saturday afternoon and Monday Darryl Kaneshiro changed his mind about running for council... maybe.
He took out his papers Monday but didn’t file them, leaving us to ponder for a few more hours what his presence in the race would do to the chances of others.
And it’s now official- Scott Mijares of Kilauea is in the council race after filing him papers on Monday.
And saving the best news for last, community activist and advocate Linda Saloka-Pasadava also of Kilauea is thinking of throwing her hat into the ring.
As President of the Kilauea Neighborhood Association Pasadava, as she goes by, was an instrumental party to the suit that brought a multi million dollar judgment against alleged murderer Jimmy Pflueger (come on- sue us Jimmy... pretty please?) in the Ka Loko dam break and is active in other public interest matters such as fighting to insure and secure public access during expansion plans for Kilauea Point Wildlife refuge.
She also ran for a seat on the KIUC Board in 2006 but didn’t finish in the money.
Based on nothing but speculation, one wonders whether the DLNR’s recent imposition of fees for ministers performing beach weddings has spurred Pasadava to seek office since it appears she “is a state licensed non denominational minister who has been uniting couples for over 12 years (and) she offers non-denominational and Christian ceremonies” at beaches around the island according to her web site “Just a Minister on Kaua`i”, http://www.justaministeronkauai.com/ which for some reason has a block on being able to copy information.
Hopefully that doesn’t signal a willingness to keep information from public view if she takes office.
Linda is just the kind of candidate Kaua`i needs- someone who has been active in the community and knows the issues and works for the public interest.
Her experience as KNA President shows that she’s the kind of person not just dedicated to community well-being and interests but someone who can bring people together- and get elected to arguably the most active and successful neighborhood association on Kaua`i.
We certainly hope she gets their papers in today, adding another name to the apparent good public interest governance slate.
Same goes for Darryl Kaneshiro whom we have supported in the past due to his penchant for honest and open discussion of the issues and his rare ability – in a politician at least- to be “convincible” when the facts warrant it.
And Mel Rapozo still hasn’t filed for mayor.
Today at 4:30 is the filing deadline but we’re not sure how quickly the final filings will be reported. If it’s not timely we’ll surely have a wrap on the beginning of what promises to be one of the most lively campaign seasons on Kaua`i in a long time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
