HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 1056.031 2006-2008
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Murashige, Laura
From: Bett Bidleman [Bettbi@hawaiiantel.net] 2005 flPR 15 fl~ 8 28
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 3:25 PM
To: Councilmember Ford'; 'Councilmember Higa'; 'Councilmember Hoffman'; 'Coun I ei I ?da'b'.1,~t1
'Councilmember Jacobsen'; 'Councilmember Naeole'; 'Councilmember Pilago'{',f.dil IPnember
Yagong'; 'Councilmember Yoshimoto'; 'Public Testimony'
Cc: 2percent.forthelandfund@gmail.com
Subject: FW: 2% supporters- shocking UPDATE on Initiaitve and Referendum at Council
Please RE-INSERT THE FOLLOWING CLAUSES in Bill 257:
1. THAT THE MAYOR CANNOT VETO AN INITIATIVE or a REFERENDUM AND
THE COUNCIL CANNOT OVERTURN A MEASURE APPROVED BY VOTERS
EXCEPT BY TWO-THIRDS VOTE AND
2. THAT A MEASURE CAN QUALIFY FOR THE BALLOT WITH 10% OF THE
AMOUNT OF SIGNATURES IN THE LAST MAYORAL ELECTION.
And Pass Bill 257- Trust the WISDOM of VOTERS to DECIDE-
PUT THE MEASURE ON THE BALLOT
Here's why this safeguard is important! Mayor Kim has asked the Open Space commission to
recommend to the Council that park management be paid as part of the 2% money. When we ran the
campaign for the 2% set aside of taxes we told petition signers that the money was ONLY to purchase
open space or conservation easements. This would gut this ordinance and betray the trust of the voters!
There is approximately $4 million each year as 2% of the property taxes. The administration's property
manager, Harry Yada told the Open Space Commission that the 2% money is spent for all of 2008, for
Waipio Valley look out and Kawa Bay. If the 2% money was to be spent on maintenance of parks, there
would be no money for property acquisition. At the Council meeting yesterday, Donald Ikeda said that
he wanted to see the 2% law changed to include maintenance. Maintenance is the kuleana of Parks and
Recreation; this is part of their annual budget.
VOTED "NO" BY COUNCIL MEMBERS YOSHIMOTO, NAEOLE, HIGA AND
IKEDA_DELETED: The other clause was deleted because Yoshimoto, Higa, Ikeda and Naeole
voted "NO" was to allow the petitioner's committee (like the Save Our Land Citizens Committee) to
collect 10% of the amount of voters who voted in the last election for Mayor. During the 2% campaign
we needed 4,846 signatures. WE collected almost 8,400+ signatures that the County said they would
review. The Elections office and County Clerk Connie Kirin invalidated 65% of these signatures for
people leaving off st. ave. or place or leaving out the year-2006. This was at the direction of the Kim
administration, Council Chair Stacy Higa and Corporation Counsel Lincoln Ashida. Instead of trying to
qualify voters, they disqualified them.
The current charter requires that 15% of the voters who voted in the last mayoral election qualify as
signers of the peitions. In the last mayoral election Mayor Kim was elected in the primary, which is a
smaller turnout of voters. If the Mayor is elected in the general election, not the primary, the amount of
Comm. NaJsZ-C
Ref. To:
4/14/2008 Ref. fJat,3 RB 92 z
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voters who vote is approximately 50,000. So to qualify to get a measure on the ballot you would need
7,500 valid signatures. This makes if very difficult for citizens to use this charter article and to write or
repeal laws. Most other states have initiative and referendum laws that only require 2%, 4% and
generally fewer than 10%. We thought that 10% would be a reasonable compromise. Remember a
petition initiative drive or a referendum drive is ONLY to get the matter on the ballot to LET THE
VOTERS DECIDE. There is no reason to make it harder to qualify voters.
Mahalo,
Bett Bidleman
13-1242 Malama St.
Pahoa, HI 96778
4/14/2008