WHT Editor speaks out

Council vote against equal access issue screams for voter referendum
By Reed Flickinger Friday, May 19, 2006 8:44 AM HST

Remember these names: Stacy Higa, Jimmy Arakaki, Fred Holschuh and Donald Ikeda. They are the Gang of Four and they are enemies of the democratic process.These men abused their power as members of the Hawaii County Council to deprive voters of this island a democratic right: To decide at the polls whether the council should meet in Kona on even-numbered months. They voted against a measure that would have allowed voters to decide if West Hawaii residents should be allowed equal access to government.They think they know better -- better than every voter on this island -- what we want.Theirs is a corrupt perspective.The blame for this travesty of democracy falls squarely on the shoulders of Higa, the council chairman prone to bloviation and verbal bullying who directs dependent followers like Holschuh and Ikeda.He and his three cohorts don't have the sand to insult the residents and voters of West Hawaii in person. Rather, by action they have demonstrated their preference to run into the relative insulation and comfort of Hilo council chambers to abuse the rights and interests of West Hawaii, the region that pays more than 70 percent of this island's real property tax revenues, yet in the eyes of this corrupt gang does not merit so much as the right to vote on an equal access to government issue.The people of West Hawaii, however, may not be left in the cold. This year technically may be open season on initiative, referendum and charter amendment, and this bill may have been moot after all. Any individual may be able to place any initiative before voters this fall.The Hawaii County Charter, the law governing how the county operates, in the section addressing initiative and referendum states:
"Section 11-2. Submission Requirements."(a) Voters seeking to propose an ordinance by initiative shall submit an initiative petition addressed to the council and containing the full text of the proposed ordinance. The initiative petition shall be filed with the clerk of the council at least forty-eight hours prior to any regular council meeting."(b) Voters seeking referendum on an ordinance shall submit a referendum petition addressed to the council, identifying the particular ordinance and requesting that it be either repealed or referred to the voters of the county."(c) Each initiative petition and each referendum petition must be signed by qualified voters of the county equal in number to at least fifteen percent of the total number of persons who voted in the county for the office of mayor in the most recent second special election, or, if there had not been a second special election, in the last preceding general election."Re-read carefully that italicized passage.Harry Kim was elected mayor in the last primary election. No votes were cast for the mayor in the General Election, so by law, if it is accurately interpreted and not misinterpreted by Hilo factions, the number of signatures needed for any initiative or charter amendment to appear on the ballot is one.We have the ability to put before this island's voters issues the council and administration haven't the wisdom, sand and veracity to produce: A separate West Hawaii Planning Commission; concurrency; impact fees; the 2 percent tax set aside for land acquisition. It is a wish list that could fill volumes and allow voters to correct what our county government has mismanaged, misappropriated and misconstrued.The Gang of Four has done a disservice to voters. They have placed themselves and their narrow-minded opinions before the wisdom of the voters whom they profess to represent. They stand squarely between the people and the democratic process, not serving the process of democracy, rather serving to undermine that process with the sole intent, by design, of protecting and prolonging the inequity of their treatment of West Hawaii, its access to government, perpetuating their insufficient delivery of services and protecting their flawed planning processes and decisions.However, the Hawaii County Charter may be their undoing. The Gang of Four and anyone who chooses to side with them may well be shown they are not above following the law.The powers of initiative and referendum allowed by the charter can and should be used by voters to enact legislation they seek, to put important issues before voters and to force balance and accountability in the governing process. Those powers are useful, strong and binding: It is up to voters to use those tools before them when elected officials fail.rflickinger@westhawaiitoday.com