LIHU‘E — William “Kaipo” Asing, chair of the Kaua‘i County Council and 20-plus-year council-member, found his job easier when he was simply one of seven members. The leadership role, which he assumed after the 2002 elections which saw fellow Councilmembers
LIHU‘E — William “Kaipo” Asing, chair of the Kaua‘i County Council and 20-plus-year council-member, found his job easier when he was simply one of seven members.
The leadership role, which he assumed after the 2002 elections which saw fellow Councilmembers Gary Hooser (to the state Senate), Bryan Baptiste (to the mayor’s office) and Ron Kouchi (off the council after an unsuccessful bid for the mayor’s office) vacate the council, is one he is still struggling with, he admitted.
“It has been, up to now, a challenge,” keeping fellow members of the council focused on their primary function of adopting meaningful legislation, Asing said in an exclusive interview.
He sees his main function now, “really, is trying to keep the council together, and adopt good legislation,” he said.
A fractional council is not good, said Asing, known for his honesty, thorough investigation of matters before the council, and his uncanny ability to continually win reelection without spending any money on any type of advertising.
He has been a councilmember under five mayors: Eduardo E. Malapit, the late Tony Kunimura, current Councilmember JoAnn Yukimura, Mary-anne Kusaka and Bryan J. Baptiste.
Asing has seen the island’s economy move up and down, has legislated through two hurricanes, ‘Iwa in 1982 and ‘Iniki in 1992, and limits his campaigning mainly to roadside sign-holding. For his 2004 reelection bid, he spent a grand total of $200, including $50 for his candidate filing fee. By contrast, other council candidates have raised and spent five-figure sums on single elections.
Born and raised on Kaua‘i, Asing said he takes great pride in the fact that he does his homework, and doesn’t owe anybody anything.
Asked about the job of a councilmember, Asing said, “We’re the legislative branch. We need to stay on our side,” meaning councilmembers must refrain from trying to dictate county policy, which falls under the jurisdiction of Baptiste and his administration.
His priorities for the current two-year term of the council, developed during closed-door sessions with all seven members, are to try to address the island’s affordable-housing crisis, and addressing the taxation and social issues associated with the growth of vacation rentals in residential neighborhoods, he said.
Other priorities identified by members were drugs, real-property-tax reform, and landfill issues, he said.
On an annual basis, though, councilmembers have one huge responsibility: finalizing the county budget. “The single most important issue that the council handles every year is the county budget. It’s massive and time-consuming,” said Asing.
And it’s coming.
Baptiste said his admin-fiscal-year 2005-06 county budget, and will soon submit it to councilmembers for their study and approval.
Councilmembers are charged with setting island real-property-tax rates, and Asing points with pride to legislation enacted by the council that has meant $5.48 million in real-property-tax relief to island home owners in the current fiscal year (ending June 30).
Several months before Judge George Masuoka ruled the citizen-driven, county-charter amendment to cap real-property taxes was not legal under both the state constitution and county charter, Asing said as much during a lengthy presentation on the council floor. The charter’s initiative and referendum provisions prohibit citizens from proposing tax-proposal charter changes, Asing said.
Members of Ohana Kauai, who got enough signatures to put a charter-amendment question about capping real-property taxes on the 2004 general-election ballot, are planning fund-raisers to appeal Masuoka’s decision to the state Supreme Court.
The charter question passed, with some 13,000 Kauaians voting in favor of the real-property-tax cap.
On the issue of siting a new county landfill, Asing has an idea why county leaders Kusaka (when she was in office) and Baptiste have delayed making an announcement even though consultants identified no fewer than five environmentally suitable sites several years ago.
“It’s a controversial issue, and the administration has to make a recommendation,” said Asing, adding that it will be councilmembers’ role to appropriate funds for a new landfill. There is $400,000 in the current county capital improvement projects budget for an engineering study and environmental impact statement on a new landfill site, when one is chosen.
Asing said councilmembers will work with Baptiste and his administration on an anticipated time frame, anticipated dollar amounts needed, and other matters.
Baptiste said delicate discussions are underway regarding the site of a new landfill, and would not elaborate.
Regarding a proposed waste-to-energy plant that would burn certain types of solid waste and generate electricity, Asing said, “there’s movement in that area,” and money in the current county budget to update the 12-year-old county solid waste master plan and include therein discussion of potential waste-to-energy projects.
Paul C. Curtis, associate editor, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@pulitzer.net.
