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A PROPOSAL FOR A HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL By Masayuki Kawasaki, A Hawaii County Voter Previously, Hawaii County was divided into two areas, East Hawaii and West Hawaii. During the pre-charter days of the Board of Supervisors, there were three Supervisors from East Hawaii and three from West Hawaii. The County Chairman, who was elected at-large, held the ultimate power balance between the East and the West. The people of each of the two areas had an effective representation in the County legislative process because the at-large office could be won or lost by the votes of the people of any one area. Old-timers will recall that about 30 years ab.a, one election was won and lost by one vote. Because the- County Chairman needed the votes of both East Hawaii and West Hawaii, he objectively met the needs of both areas according to his perception of the political strength of each area. The voters of both areas were effectively represented on the Board for they were the constituents of the majority of the Supervisors. The concept of providing each Hawaii County voter with effective representation through an at-large election was continued by the second County Charter under which the County now operates. Hawaii County people vote for .nine Councilmen. Each voter is effectively represented by more than the _majority of. the Councilmen. In addition to effectiveness of representation, there are other desireable goals for the selection of a proposal for the election and composition of the County Council. These goals are fairness and an acceptable differentiation of candidates. Fairness means one man, one vote and an equal opportunity for political participation. Equal opportunity for political participation means different things to different people. It is an aspect of fairness most relevant to rapidly growing areas. Changes must be made in districting in order to accommodate the increase in population in some districts, otherwise, the areas of little growth will offer political opportunities at the expense of newly populated areas. Differentiation of candidates requires that the number of Councilmen to be elected at any one election be limited so that the attitude, behavior, and skills of each candidate could be properly studied. With a small number of candidates, each candidate can be identified and evaluated by a voter. The present system of at-large election of 9 Councilmen provides each voter with effective representation in the County legislative process. However, a district with a fraction of the population of another district is entitled to the election of one Councilman from that district while the larger district is also limited to one Councilman. This is not fair. - Also, under the present system, 9 Councilmen are elected at one time. This means that voters are faced with the large number of 18 candidates (assumming 2 candidates per office) . The large number makes it difficult to identify and evaluate each candidate. Thus, the present system lacks a desireable degree of candidate differentiation. A proposal for the election of the Councilmen purely by districts has been made by some organizations. This proposal calls for the election of Councilmen from each district so that each Councilmen will represent and be chosen from an equal number of people. This aspect of the proposal is fair.