• County spending • Kaua‘i Police Department County spending First we have those huge and expensive new county buildings going up near the airport. Then yesterday’s paper had a front page article about how the county is spending more of
• County spending
• Kaua‘i Police Department
County spending
First we have those huge and expensive new county buildings going up near the airport. Then yesterday’s paper had a front page article about how the county is spending more of our tax money on still more O‘ahu consultants to redesign the existing seat of county government with extensive renovations and landscaping to provide our public “servants” the proper royal atmosphere commensurate with their delusions of grandeur.
No doubt this will require more county employees to maintain the lush surroundings as well as to fill up all the new offices to be created. From a politician’s standpoint, this is a great way to buy votes and help family and friends to feed at the public trough.
Is it any wonder, then, that they have refused to heed the voters’ wishes and implement the Ohana Kauai tax initiative voted on in the last election? Those who support the Ohana Kauai have had to pay to print petitions and spend effort gathering signatures to legally put the issue on the ballot. The Ohana then convinced voters of the soundness of their plan and “won” the election. Now, these same people are once again forced to raise money to pay lawyers to fight the county in court – while at the same time paying taxes to hire the county’s lawyers who are trying to thwart the wishes of the voters.
Can we really afford a county elite that shamelessly spends huge gobs of taxpayer dollars to create a regal atmosphere from which to pontificate? That fiddles in splendor while the county roads, parks, and infrastructure are falling apart? That thinks of nobody but itself? That considers the will of the people of no consequence?
Stan Godes
Hanalei
Kaua‘i Police Department
It was a pleasure to read in today’s Garden Island what a great job our re-organized Police Department is doing to fight drugs and crime on our island. It certainly appears that with the our new Chief K.C. Lum and Deputy Chief Ron Venneman at the helm, we as a community can be proud of our Police Department. Having talked to several officers ‘On the Beat’, they are very happy with the way the department is now being run.
It is puzzling however, trying to understand why our County Council is spending our money to investigate a well run department, but, we have to realize that they are also fighting the Property Tax Amendment. It would appear that the general public’s wishes are second to those of the Council.
Geoffrey Culverhouse
Hanalei
