• Bravo, Rolf • Mahalo, Kaua‘i Bravo, Rolf So Rolf Bieber was not reappointed to the Board of Ethics for another term even though he wished to serve again. And when the mayor was asked by The Garden Island why
• Bravo, Rolf
• Mahalo, Kaua‘i
Bravo, Rolf
So Rolf Bieber was not reappointed to the Board of Ethics for another term even though he wished to serve again. And when the mayor was asked by The Garden Island why Rolf was not given this second term the response was that the mayor wanted more “balance” on the BOE.
Wait a minute, Mr. Mayor. Rolf, along with the learned retired attorney Paul Weil, probably gave that board more “balance” than it has ever had.
In any democratic system whether it be in a government, board or commission, differing points of view are welcome and decisions are made by a majority vote. Thanks to the mayoral appointment of Rolf Beiber and Paul Weil the public has been privy to this board really making decisions that that they were tasked with doing — many times in open sessions that became quite heated.
For the people, Rolf was a maverick, a maverick who was a free thinker and was doing, as a board member, exactly what they would do if they were on that commission.
Rolf is a newcomer to Kaua‘i and when he saw things on this Island that needed addressing, he ran for mayor. His chances of winning without a huge war chest and local backing were slim to zero but that did not deter this young man from having guts enough to run.
The mayor very wisely appointed him to a one-year partial term on the BOE. Rolf again had the fortitude and determination to “uphold our charter” and though he knew it wasn’t a “popular” thing to do he blew the whistle on three individuals who, in his judgment violated section 20.02D of our charter. This issue still hasn’t been resolved but thanks to Rolf it has been brought to the publics attention.
So, Mr. Mayor, the question arises as to why you did a 180 with Rolf? When you appointed successors for him and another BOE member whose term had expired, what were your real reasons? Did you not want to have the democracy that Rolf Bieber had brought to the BOE?
You wisely appointed these two people to that board who gave you “balance” that was previously lacking. These two members gave you democracy in action and your constituents applauded you for this.
The people need to be represented by citizens like Rolf who are not attached to any special interests and only have the welfare of the people in mind when making a decision.
Bravo, Rolf, and stay involved with our government.
Glenn Mickens, Kapa‘a
Mahalo, Kaua‘i
On behalf of the Kaua‘i Food Bank, we want to say Mahalo nui loa, Kaua‘i, for making our 2009 Annual Holiday Food Drive and Food Drive Day a success during these tough economic times.
The Holiday Food Drive started Oct. 13 and the Food Drive Day was on Oct. 17. To date, over $37,000 and 33,000 pounds of food have been contributed. And, because of community support, we were able to distribute over 450 turkeys for Thanksgiving and 815 Christmas hams.
Volunteers: New Hope Church Kapa‘a, Aloha Church, Timao Health, Kalaheo Missionary Church, Kapa‘a Missionary Church, Saint Raphael Church, Hui O’ Makua, Rotary Club of Kaua‘i, Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay, East Kaua‘i Lions Club, Kaua‘i High School Key Club, Kapa‘a High School Cheer Squad, Waimea High School, Century 21 All Islands, Kaua‘i Christian Fellowship Youth Group, Nana’s House, U-Turn for Christ, Waimea Boys & Girls Club, and Lihu‘e Town Courts
County of Kaua‘i: Fire Department, Police Department
Schools: Kaua‘i High School, Kaua‘i Community College, Koloa School, Wilcox Elementary, Kilauea School, Waimea High School, Kapa‘a Elementary School, Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, and All Saints Pre-School.
State of Hawai‘i: Department of Accounting, Department of Transportation Airport, Judiciary 5th Circuit
Businesses: Century 21, Curves, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Sign Art, Walmart, Big Save, Kukui Grove Shopping Center, Kmart, Ching Young Village, KQNG Radio Group, Ishihara Market, Foodland Waipouli and Princeville, Cost-U-Less, Safeway, KICU, Garden Island Newspaper, Pono Kai, Home Depot, Lawai Beach Resort, Kaua‘i Marriott, Grand Hyatt Resort & SPA, and Weston Princeville Ocean Resort, Sheraton Kaua‘i Resort, Safeway, and Times.
And a special mahalo to our Food Drive sponsors: County of Kaua‘i Fire Department, The Garden Island newspaper, Grove Farm, Kaua‘i Government Employee FCU, Safeway, Wala‘au and KQNG Radio Group.
The mission of the food bank is to “Provide food for the hungry, respond to emergencies, and eliminate hunger.” This year we have seen a 50 percent increase in demand for our services. Mahalo Kaua‘i for your ongoing support to help end hunger on our beautiful island. We wish you all a very Mele Kalikimaka and Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou!
Judith Lenthall, Executive Director
Kelvin Moniz, Director of Operations
