HomeMy WebLinkAboutPaik-Mander, Koohan
Tsuneda, Kaci
From:Koohan Paik-Mander <koohanpaik@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, July 21, 2026 2:46 PM
To:Council Remote Testimony; Council Testimony; Inaba, Holeka; Kanealii-Kleinfelder,
Matt; Kierkiewicz, Ashley; Galimba, Michelle M.; Kagiwada, Jennifer; Kekai, Malia;
Kimball, Heather; Onishi, Dennis; Villegas, Rebecca
Subject:Please vote NO on Bill 165
Dear Honorable County Council Members,
Erosion of transparency in government, public space and services is at unprecedented levels. In Hawaii,
this has heightened significance, due to the very finite limited geography of our state and counties, and
also due to the profoundly fundamental place that land has in our citizenry's cosmology. We use the
word "aina" in deference to our obligations to the natural world and resources. It was in this spirit that the
PONC was founded.
But this is a democracy issue as well as an open-space issue. We live in a global political climate rife
with corruption and non-transparency. Removing the safeguards is a step in that direction. Why would
anyone who was elected by democratic process, endorse the initiative to shrink transparency -- when
transparency is a prerequisite to a functioning, healthy democracy? Such a vote just wouldn't make
sense.
For this reason, I am writing to express my unequivocal opposition to the notion of removing safeguards
for the maintenance fund.
Mahalo in advance for voting NO on Bill 165
Aloha,
Koohan Paik-Mander
District 1
--
"If we make no effort to change direction, we will end up where we are heading."
-- Chinese Proverb
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