Community members wanting to end at-large elections to the County Council have started a grassroots effort to put a charter amendment on the Nov. 4 ballot that would spread representation across the island. Currently, the seven council seats do not
Community members wanting to end at-large elections to the County Council have started a grassroots effort to put a charter amendment on the Nov. 4 ballot that would spread representation across the island.
Currently, the seven council seats do not have any designation in regards to place of residence.
The proposal utilizes traditional land divisions, called moku districts, that stem from pre-contact times on Kaua‘i.
“With elections by district, council members will come from all over the island and be elected directly by their neighbors,” said Jonathan Jay, an Eastside resident helping to coordinate the effort. “This way mana‘o from the whole island will be at the table when issues important to the whole island come up.”
The movement has already appointed local representatives for each of the seven moku districts, which can be found online at ponokauai.org. Jay serves as the Puna North coordinator, which covers the Wailua watershed to Kealia.
Currently, six of the eight elected officials on the council and the mayor’s office are from one part of the island — the Lihu‘e to Wailua corridor on the Eastside, Jay said. This leaves the Westside from Puhi to Polihale without representation, he added.
“We can do better,” Jay said.
Jose Bulatao Jr., a Kekaha educator, said he has heard the Westside lament its lack of council representation.
“In having a direct voice from each moku, the possibility may present itself for that representative to meet more frequently with his or her direct constituency, which may result in having their constituency’s voices, concerns and priorities more clearly articulated at council meetings,” Bulatao said.
In 2006, a weak districting measure was on the ballot that did not have visible support or a campaign behind it, Jay said. Nevertheless, it almost passed with 49.6 percent of the more than 19,000 votes cast in that contest, he added.
“A strong districting proposal with widespread grassroots support across Kaua’i stands a very good chance of passing this year,” Jay said.
While presumed perks may include cheaper elections and more accountable elected officials, there are challenges ahead.
Bulatao said he expects resistance from those who like the current system. He added that districting may create divisiveness on the island.
Jay said residents need to obtain 2,000 validated signatures for the charter amendment to qualify for the ballot. He expects 10 people in each district can do this in a month.
He said there are arguments that insist districting creates problems with “political horse-trading.”
“Districting is no panacea, but pluses outweigh the minuses,” he added.
The ancient Hawaiians were keen observers of their environment, Jay said. The individual watershed or ahupua‘a was the basic building block of their land administration. The moku, or district, was built up from the watersheds until it formed a natural region of the island.
“This wise form of land management not only made sense, it allowed the Hawaiians to sustain themselves on Kaua‘i for more than 1,000 years,” Jay said.
Bulatao said he supports anything that brings the island closer to its roots.
When people run for the council seat in their home district, Jay said, campaign costs will decrease because they will not have to mount an islandwide effort.
“Regional primaries and general elections will mean smaller grassroots organizations will be able to compete more effectively in local politics,” he said. “Similarly, the tighter focus districting mandates also allows a better opportunity to focus on local needs and priorities that require governmental action. In a way, this is similar to playing a ‘zone defense’ in basketball — quite effective.”
Coordinators said after reviewing comments on the proposal, a final draft of the charter amendment ballot language will be composed in April and confirmed by an attorney to ensure its legality.
Beginning in May, the signature gathering will begin, Jay said.
“As proof of the pudding, the entire campaign will be organized by the seven moku districts,” he said. “If every district has 10 people each gathering only one signature a day for a month, we will be done.”
Next, the initiative will be turned into the county clerk to be registered, which includes signature verification.
“Then the real fun begins as we spread the word and campaign for the passage of moku districting for future County Council elections,” Jay said. “Between now and mid-summer, we will be building an organization across the island to do just that. I am very encouraged that the response from so many has been so enthusiastic.”
The grassroots leaders underscored the greater accountability of districting.
“When you know who represents you and they know it too, it is much easier for the right things to get done,” Jay said. “If they fail to meet the needs of your region, it is also much easier to throw the bum out of office if they can not hide in a field of 14 candidates. Suddenly what was ambiguous now becomes crystal clear. Everyone on the council will know who they work for and you will, too.”
Another critical component of the districting idea is how governance based on the land itself will naturally veer toward sound land management policies.
“Since the Hawaiians already developed a system that we know worked, we would do well to adopt their solutions if we want to stick around awhile,” Jay said. “Looking to how the Hawaiians managed the land will be increasingly important as we strive for a self-sufficient sustainable life in contemporary Kaua’i.”
Paul Massey, director of Regenerations Botanical Garden in Kilauea, said he supports the idea of more equitable representation on the council.
“It simply puts the superlative of local governance to a logical application,” he said yesterday. “This initiative charges us to adopt a greater sense of community and kuleana in our relationship with the land, ocean, water, air and each other. We desperately need to mend these relationships and boost the pride of our place in paradise that we feel when we know our ethics and resulting actions are pono.”
Residents are eager to utilize traditional Hawaiian solutions to local environmental and social problems, Massey said.
“The great changes that lay before us in this age of climate destabilization and non-renewable resource depletion demand that we shift toward living and acting locally like in ancient times,” he said. “We must restore our waterways, control invasive species, halt undesirable development, repair and build a healthy and equitable infrastructure and housing, and on and on — all at the local level.”
• Nathan Eagle, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or neagle@kauaipubco.com.
