• Countdown to the general election Countdown to the general election The rapt interest of the audience, and the candidates, at The Garden Island’s candidates forum held Tuesday night at the Kauai Veterans Center in Lihu‘e shows this year’s general
• Countdown to the general election
Countdown to the general election
The rapt interest of the audience, and the candidates, at The Garden Island’s candidates forum held Tuesday night at the Kauai Veterans Center in Lihu‘e shows this year’s general election has caught the attention of Kaua‘i.
The candidates responded well to the questions poised by Associate Editor Paul Curtis and Staff Writer Lester Chang. The audience watched and listened carefully to both what was said, and the physical and verbal nuances of the candidates up on stage.
The questions asked this year were to the point, and custom tailored to the candidates. Comments following the forum from both candidates and the public in the audience were positive. It seemed like we could have doubled the time of the forum and everyone would have stayed.
For those unable to be there in person, the forum will soon be aired on Ho‘ike Kauai Community Television and on Coast 87.7 FM. Dickie Chang’s Wala‘au program also plans to air highlights of the event in the near future.
One of the interesting points that came up in the forum was how well spoken the challengers in the races are. This group includes Rupert Rowe, Rhoda Libre, Kauilani Kahalekai, Bruce Pleas, John Hoff, Joanne Georgi, Mamo Cummings, Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho, Bruce Miyashiro and Tim Bynum n all had important points to make and were keeping up with the incumbants they are running against.
The veteran politicans did well too. Presenting their points, defending their records and elaborating on the issues of this 2004 election.
Affordable housing appears to be the top issue for both Council and Legislative candidates. This matches a point The Garden Island has made consistently this year n there is a great need for homes for local residents who work average-paying jobs, and if this need isn’t met Kaua‘i faces both an exodus of local residents and a rise in social problems like drug abuse.
Besides the ongoing traffic issue in Kapa‘a and on the way into Lihu‘e from Koloa, how to best handle property tax reform is a key concern. The impact that this amendment to the County Charter might have is now drawing great interest to this ballot issue.
Comments at a Council meeting this week show that the work of the county’s property tax task force is being presented as an alternative to changing the County Charter in a more direct way than has happened in the past.
There are also issues about sex offender registration and related issues that will appear on the general election ballot. Watch for commentary on these issues in upcoming issues of The Garden Island, as well as continued coverage from the forum, and of the candidates with the election just weeks away now.
