•What ‘pages of problems’ •Actual footprint •Coco Palms cultural center What ‘pages of problems’ I am having difficulty discovering and understanding the reasons why the advocates of a council-manager system want a change. Very recently, however, a supporter for change
•What ‘pages of problems’
•Actual footprint
•Coco Palms cultural center
What ‘pages of problems’
I am having difficulty discovering and understanding the reasons why the advocates of a council-manager system want a change.
Very recently, however, a supporter for change declared “there are pages of problems” existing in our system. I wish he would share these “pages of problems” with those of us who would like to know what problems we are unaware of.
As I understand it, government is structured to enable our elected officials to perform their duties and responsibilities efficiently and effectively. If for some reason, a function or procedure in the system is wasteful or unproductive, i.e. inefficient or ineffective, effort should or is made to correct that function or procedure. If it cannot be corrected and it continues as an impediment to the desirable conduct of governance, then, perhaps, it may be time for change.
A very simple description of our mayor-council system is to say that the council proposes and the mayor disposes. The mayor can veto and the council can over-ride the veto.
A very simple description of the council-manager system as I understand it is to say that the council proposes and the manager disposes. There is no veto. The mayor — if he exists in this system — welcomes visitors, attends funerals, weddings and birthdays, recognizes and awards outstanding services and achievements of constituents, et cetera.
If the pages of problems are shared with us, we can better determine whether the problems are “structural” in nature, e.g. “the terms of council members should be changed from two to four years” or “candidates for the council should be educated and experienced.” Or are the “problems” political in nature (an honest difference of opinion on issues), e.g. “The landfill should be located in Hanama‘ulu” or “We should have a ferry system between the islands.”
If the “pages of problems” referred to are political in nature, changing the system will not necessarily bring the relief sought since the county-manager system still employs the elected council to appoint the manager who in turn is responsible to the council.
If the problems are “structural” and made known to the Charter Review Commission, the commission can better spend their volunteer time investigating and proposing changes to make our government more efficient and effective, instead of wasting their valuable time finding a legally viable council-manager system to substitute for a working system regardless of what political philosophy is in the majority. Remember too, our county elections are non-partisan.
Alfred Laureta, Lihu‘e
Actual footprint
Ms. Dye ignores the fact that avian malaria was killing native birds when the left was telling us the earth was cooling (“It’s all connected,” Letters, Dec. 13).
And now she won’t confront the elephant in the room regarding the global warming hoax: the intercepted e-mails between global warming adherents show conclusively that these ideologues admit the earth is not warming (in fact, it is cooling). Further, they discuss the need to keep this damning information out of the public arena.
It’s been said “facts are stubborn things” or maybe “an inconvenient truth” but the evidence is in. The climate does change but man’s influence on the climate is all but immeasurable.
But with the left on the defensive, Obama’s corrupt EPA has now declared CO2 a detrimental gas. That is, what part of the biosphere exhales and the rest absorbs, is poison.
This makes the Salem witch trials look rational by comparison. And the reliable data that never sees the light of day shows no connection between CO2 levels and climate change.
When you’ve bet the farm on a false premise it’s a bitter pill to swallow. As one wag put it: “Forget chubby Al Gore’s carbon footprint — it’s his actual footprint that’s a concern.”
John Burns, Princeville
Coco Palms cultural center
Why not turn the Coco Palms into a mini Polynesian Cultural Center?
It would be a small area, so on a nightly basis they could do different Polynesian shows and have a museum of all different cultures here in Hawai‘i that would be open daily.
Also, they could open a small restaurant and some gift shops there. Since parking is limited, down-size the building areas (keeping the main entrance, of course) and create more parking stalls.
At the entrance, since Larry Rivera was there as an entertainer for many years, maybe a statue of young Larry with stretched out open arms and a different lei daily on it — as if to welcome guests.
We need to do something soon or we will lose the original building from more bad weather conditions to come.
Howard Tolbe, ‘Ele‘ele
