2007-11-14 Board of Ethics Minutes Regular Session

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about agendas and issues that are on the agendas. When we're doing a broadcast message, I don't put my personal comments about the items that are coming up on the agendas in there. I don't even place information about who voted for what issue in what way into my broadcast messages, because I'm afraid it could be construed inappropriately. And this is really handicapping me. This is a self - imposed rule that I applied to myself and my staff, but it's certainly handicapping me in my ability to let my constituents know what's going on or what my position is in certain issues, and I think that's very unfortunate. And I would like to see the Board of Ethics address that issue as to what can we put in a general broadcast message from the council office all the time, not in just an election year, because if we could do it during a non - election year, it seems to me that we should be doing it all the time. It should be part of our job to provide this type of information to our constituents. I think you should address the issues of stating our position on any particular issue that is an issue that would normally come before the Council. I think we should be able to state who voted what way (inaudible). On the bottom of resolutions, you've probably seen them, there are little blocks that say all of our names and did we vote yes or no or were we excused. I think we should be allowed to reflect letters of testimony or support from our constituents on particular issues, because those issues don't just impact councilpersons, they impact the constituents, whether they're for or against. I think they should be, you know, encouraged to participate in our governmental process. I think news letters from the Council members saying this is what's going on just like I get a periodically I get a monthly report at a town meeting that we have here in Kona, and Mr. Pilago does, too. This month —I called it last night for the first time —this month in council, and I said these are the top issues that came in front of the Council in the last four weeks, and this is the result. And I didn't say who voted yes or no in most of them, but I said this is the result. I think we should also be able to advise when there's a non - County type meeting that the public might want to attend, for instance, if there's a meeting that is being put on at (inaudible) and, it has to do with an environmental issue, we should be able to publicize that on our general broadcast network. All of this provided that we're not putting campaign information into that broadcast. There's another issue I would like you to address, and that is —I get letters from constituents asking me for my opinion on something that may not come in front of the Council. And when I get a request for a personal opinion, I try to respond and say this is my personal opinion on that issue. However, I also provide education. If it's something that does not belong in front of the Council, I explain that it doesn't belong there, and I explain why. I try to give my constituents enough information that they'll understand why I'm saying I'm for or against - -or whatever my opinion is. I think we should be allowed to do that in private emails that come to the Council members, whether or not the issue is an issue that comes in front of the Council. At the same time, we should be able to tell our opinions over the internet. When somebody says what's your opinion on solid waste disposal incinerators —an example —I should be able to say my opinion is such and such. I do realize when you have the internet that our emails can be forwarded to many other places, and —I don't know if that's good or bad, I guess —but I think it's important that we have contact with our constituents. We can't be everywhere at once. So I would like all of these issues to be addressed by the Board of Ethics, because I think it's just as important as is election year campaigning issues, and some of it could be construed as campaigning. And I need 2