MIN CHC 1999-12-04 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

perfectly routine. It doesn't bother me personally, as far as how County government would work for me. I'm more worried in terms of what the public reaction is going to be to this. Roland. BESS: I just have a question, John. With your experience, do you feel that Council members at -large provide for a broader view of the needs of the island, and tend not to be as provincial? RAY: Yes, I think generally that's true, but my experience on the Council is I think everybody, on larger issues, were pretty well focused on the island as a whole. Where Council members are really focused on their district, are more specific issues to their district, or certainly to CIP, getting funds for their district. But, yes, they would, sure, they'd be more beholden, and I think John makes a good point; the next important thing is to get re-elected again, so you're definitely answering directly to a larger constituency, but I didn't see that as, certainly, effecting majority votes, as a real critical dynamic. The single member districts really having a negative effect. 1 think what had a much more negative effect, in the past, was party politics, and just lining up with party majorities that just arbitrarily went one way or the other. HERKES: That's because you're in the wrong party. HIGASHI: May I? We're kind of wandering off. RAY: Sure. Roland. HIGASHI: The one thing that is proven is the Mayor is the only person that runs island -wide right now in County government. The feeling is that those that run at - large from the Council would have as much respect as the Mayor. I mean, they have the same constituency. If we're going to go with a strong Mayor form of government, at least the Council people who are running at -large, has some perception of having the same kind of constituency, and not the same authority, but have the same people that they talk to. One other thing that may happen is that once we adopt this, and if it's something that we want to do, we can always add on who will be Council Chair, if we decide that the largest vote getter of the three, he will be, but I'd like to leave that separately. If we adopt this as a basic plan first, and if there's other feelings of adding on to this, then we can move on. RAY: Sue. IRVINE: I did have one other comment. In talking to Helene Hale one day, who I admire quite a bit, about the possibility of having some four-year terms on the Council and some two-year terms, kind of super Council people, she said, oh my God, the people with the four-year terms will be totally meddling in the elections on off 16