LIHUE — Jay Furfaro has seen a number of issues come across his desk during the nearly 12 consecutive years that he has been on the Kauai County Council. And to tackle many of them, certain qualities are required
LIHUE — Jay Furfaro has seen a number of issues come across his desk during the nearly 12 consecutive years that he has been on the Kauai County Council.
And to tackle many of them, certain qualities are required of leaders on the seven-member board.
“I think the most important traits of a good leader on the council is being a good listener, having patience and gathering all of the facts,” the current Kauai County Council chair said. “Nobody went wrong because they had too much information.”
And over the past few years, under his two terms as the council chair, some progress has been made.
“A lot of it was the work of the body and the changing scope we had in the way we do business, the introduction of our website management, and all of those particulars,” said Furfaro, who said that the National Association of Counties once gave the county’s operational process a “D” letter grade rating.
That rating, he said, is now an A-minus.
“I believe I am a good steward and I have something to offer as we go forward,” the 66-year-old Waianae native said.
Although Furfaro hinted that his time on the County Council may be coming to an end soon, the Hanalei resident said he wants to share his knowledge and experience while he still can.
“I’m excited that there’s a lot of new, young people running this year, but there has to be a period where they have some continuity in process and I think I could offer that,” Furfaro said.
If elected, Furfaro said he would like to push for a public workshop, convened by the county’s Charter Review Commission, so that residents can understand the current charter amendment and initiative process better.
