• Just 5 small things… • Council comments • Thank you to PMRF Just 5 small things… Dear Mayor Baptiste, 1) Aren’t we ready for our wonderful Highway Cone-Heads to keep the Kuhio Hwy. coning all day or as long
• Just 5 small things…
• Council comments
• Thank you to PMRF
Just 5 small things…
Dear Mayor Baptiste,
1) Aren’t we ready for our wonderful Highway Cone-Heads to keep the Kuhio Hwy. coning all day or as long as possible into the afternoon. It works well in the morning, how about the afternoon?
2) Can visitors be recommended to stay off the road in Kapa’a during the frozen traffic in the heat hours? Encourage them to stay a while longer enjoying the beaches, etc., while workers can smoothly return home.
3) Spray-on road cancer!!! Isn’t it about time to phase out Round-Up on our roads. My yard and banana patch got over-sprayed and the neighbor’s horse pasture the same. Haven’t seen spray-on road cancer in a long time, why do we need it now. Besides it’s so ugly … what about ourselves, much less visitors having to contend with the eyesore. Of course Monsanto says it’s safe, but when did we start to believe large corporations. To KEEP KAUAI GREEN … just leave it alone.
4) The Hanama‘ulu bridge, does my memory serve me … $11 million to build, of course it was some years ago; but Olohena Bridge of 20′ x 20′ at $4.3 million; Is there any consideration for another lane to be added to the Wailua Bridge ? Some would prefer the cheap Olohena Bridge offer while the $4.3 million could have made an additional Wailua Bridge lane, perhaps. Some foresight is good for transportation. There is a solution … someone will get it right.
5) Isn’t the banana VIRUS sign past the Hardwood Factory seen its time come and go. Do visitors need to know we have/had a VIRUS in our food?
Council comments
I was channel surfing Saturday night and came across Kaipo Asing, our County Council chairman, making a longwinded, rambling, self-serving presentation defending the right of the County Council to investigate the police commission. The point (when he actually made a point) was that the police commission is mentioned in the charter under the police department (even though it is appointed by the mayor) — and since the council can investigate any department it can investigate the commission. A bit of doublespeak — but let us concede that the council has jurisdiction.
But, what was the police commission’s misdeed that led to the investigation? Apparently it was the commission’s attempt to get advice from a citizens’ panel before making their decision on a new police chief. Mr. Asing’s contention was that since the county charter did not mention a citizen panel, such a panel was illegal — and was so declared by their puppet county attorney. A brief review of the county charter (you can see it for yourself at http://www.kauai.gov/portals/0/county_attorney/kauai_county_charter.pdf ) reveals that the charter gives the police commission the authority to adopt rules necessary for the conduct of its business. No mention of Chief of Police selection is made in this section of the charter. In the next charter selection defining the Chief of Police, it says that the chief shall be appointed by the police commission. It further gives minimum requirements for the position. It does NOT state how the police commission should go about the selection process. Nowhere does it state that the commission should interview the candidates for the job. Using Mr. Asing’s ‘logic’, these interviews should also be illegal since they are not mentioned. Perhaps the police chief should be chosen by drawing names from a hat or throwing darts at the telephone book?
I am not personally acquainted with any of the police commissioners other than Michael Ching who is one of the most moderate and most concerned people I have met here on Kaua‘i. As an example, after I wrote a letter complaining about the 5 hour road closure here on the North Shore, Michael Ching called to give me the official police reason for the delay. It was obvious that he, too, cared about the citizens of our island. I commend all of the police commissioners for serving our county in spite of the shenanigans of the county council. Note that Mr. Ching, who does not get paid for his work as police commission chair, is paying for his own lawyer to obtain ‘secret’ records while the county council has appropriated $100,000 of taxpayer money to ‘defend’ itself.
Of course, this disregard for the citizens of our island seems to be endemic within the council. That is probably why they became so angry when the police commission wanted to get input from those outside county government. I also admire those citizens who regularly attend council meetings and provide input. It must be very much like talking to a brick wall. It is interesting to note that the county charter does not use the word ‘citizen’ at all — except to define which county officials must be citizens — or ‘taxpayer’. The word ‘public’ appears 84 times — and public hearings are required for a variety of things. Nowhere does the charter state that the public should be paid attention to. Under Mr. Ahsing’s interpretation, it would be illegal to use anything stated by the public in the course of decision-making. It must be hard on them to listen to the public input and then get instant insomnia so as not to break the law. But they seem able to manage it easily — alas.
November, 2006, will be here soon enough. I hope we all remember what has gone on and get rid of all of the seven dwarves once and for all.
Thank you to PMRF
Sunday evening my husband and I drove from Lihu‘e out to Barking Sands for the big 4th of July Celebration. It was decided that they would do this on the 3rd of July so that families could spend the 4th with their families and attend other celebrations. The MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) were responsible for the festivities.
We cannot remember when we have had such a wonderful evening with so many people of whom we knew only a couple. It was an evening when families could be together, watching their children play the many games that were available, having a picnic (you were not allowed to bring in coolers but the food we bought at the festivities was wonderful), two different bands, a short presentation by the Kauai Community Players “Grease” cast and beautiful fireworks. The weather was perfect and as I said it was so wonderful seeing young families having so much fun together.
Thank you, PMRF and MWR, for a most wonderful evening. I hope you do this again for the community and military — thank you, thank you and thank you again.
