• Checking out the pig in the poke • Saved • The un-condition of Koke‘e State Park Checking out the pig in the poke Before you vote to approve the charter amendment that changes the title of the mayor’s administrative
• Checking out the pig in the poke •
Saved • The un-condition of Koke‘e State
Park
Checking out the pig in the poke
Before you vote to approve the charter amendment that changes the title of the mayor’s administrative assistant to “managing director” and adds a new Section 7.08 to the charter, you might want to consider these points:
1. In 2006 the voters overwhelmingly rejected a charter amendment that contained the title change and nothing else.
2. Everything prescribed in the new Section 7.08, which purports to define the powers, duties and functions of the managing director, is already being practiced, so the only thing that would change if the amendment is approved is the title, just as in 2006.
If what is already happening is legitimate, why is it necessary or desirable to add Section 7.08 to the charter?
3. The amendment is a politically driven proposal dating from 2005, when the idea of a county manager system first appeared on the agenda of the Charter Commission. It is designed to convince the voters that we already have a county manager and to nail shut the coffin in which some want to bury the county manager idea.
The politically driven origin of the amendment probably explains its vagueness and the vagueness of the ballot question: “Shall the Mayor’s Administrative Assistant, whose title shall be changed to Managing Director, be required to have appropriate job qualifications and perform certain duties?”
4. As a politically driven proposal, the amendment does not encourage voters to ponder the legitimate underlying question; i.e. what should we do about the fact that the position of mayor has grown into two fulltime jobs — chief executive and political head and leader of our self-governing system?
5. If the voters reject the current proposal, the Charter Commission may seek to provide a principled answer to that question next time.
Horace Stoessel, Kapa‘a
Saved
I was in Kaua‘i for my first time in July. I made the trip alone to really get away from a relationship that ended and was really sad. I was reluctant to go as I’ve never been on a trip alone. However, what happened I now want to share and thought was an amazing experience and I have been wondering about this boy, the dog and the family ever since.
I was alone at Kalapaki Joe’s in Po‘ipu, walking to my car at 6 p.m., July 7, and past my rental car for no reason. Something kept me walking. I was really, really sad thinking about the relationship that ended.
I walked up to a small older dog who jumped out of a car on a leash dangling from the passenger side window as he tried to get out. I walked up and he was dying.
The door was locked, so I took his leash off, placed him down and pushed on his stomach. I was crying and then a boy walked up and it was his dog.
The dog lived. The boy was elated. I will never forget this. It was a joyous tear. That boy is happy and the dog is alive. They saved me.
I had no reason to keep walking. I’m not a religious or even spiritual guy. But this was amazing. I drove out of the lot and had to pull over, as I was shaken up. I then turned around and went back to the parking lot and they were gone. I wish I knew the family. Maybe they’ll read this.
I never leave abruptly like I did. I just had to get out of that place as I got really sad. I had no reason to walk past the car. It’s like I was pulled there. The thought of that boy and his family seeing what they would have if I were not pulled there would be devastating.
Michael Papale, Venice, Calif.
The un-condition of Koke‘e State Park
As a resident of the island of Kaua‘i, I have watched over the last several years as the roads in the park have deteriorated to the point of lunacy.
The potholes have reached bottomless pit proportions, rivaling the view into Kalalau Valley itself. The potholes are so numerous that it is virtually impossible to miss any of them.
During a recent trip to the park, my husband and I noticed a tourist hanging by his fingernails to the lip of one of the deepest potholes. We rescued him. His vehicle was nowhere to be found. We assume that it descended into the abyss of the pothole.
While a portion of the road was repaved a couple of years ago, and several years before that another portion of the road was repaved, there is still much to be done to bring the road up to the standard due a major state park attraction.
The road is narrow. Add to that the fact that drivers must negotiate thousands of potholes, some as deep as eighteen inches. Drivers also must avoid hitting oncoming vehicles, which are trying to negotiate potholes.
Koke‘e State Park is possibly the premier state park in Hawai‘i. Thousands of visitors from every part of the world travel the road to the top to take in the spectacular view of Kalalau Valley.
It is a travesty that what our visitors see and experience before seeing nature’s splendor is our state’s failure to provide a safe, comfortable trip.
It seems as though it is a matter of Kaua‘i being “out of sight, out of mind.”
Kristi Stephens, Lihu‘e
