HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0248.012 2008-2010
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Murashige, Laura s`
From: Susan Irvine [susan.r002@gmail.com] 2QQ~ f~PR 10 Fin 19
Sent: Thursday, April 09, 2009 4:10 PM
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To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us ;~QUP1T
Subject: Resolution 98 09
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF HAWAII STATE
Testimony on Resolution 98 09 on Comprehensive Campaign Finance Pilot Project
Monday, April 13, 2009
9:00 a.m.
County Council Chambers, Hilo
Testifier: Sue Irvine, Vice-President, LWV of Hawaii
Chair Yoshimoto, Vice Chair Hoffman, and Members of the Council:
I am here to ask that you defeat resolution 98 09 which reverses your previous position
supporting a pilot project for comprehensive public funding of Council campaigns in Hawaii
County.
For years the LWV on a national, state, and local level has championed campaign finance
reform and encouraged comprehensive public funding as a means to encourage citizen
confidence in our electoral democracy.
In other jurisdictions, adequate public funding has proven beneficial to politicians who no
longer need to expend much of their energy raising campaign dollars, and to the public who
gain increased respect for elected officials. Young citizens who have recently shown signs of
re-energizing our political process will fall back into cynicism and apathy unless we show them
government can be run in a transparent, citizen-centered manner.
Comm. No.
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Ref. To. e5;
Ref. Date APR 13 7f109
4/10/2009
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Working to limit the power of money in campaigns does not jeopardize the reelection of
capable incumbents. Senator Les Ihara in Honolulu and our previous Mayor Harry Kim, have
done very well while voluntarily limiting campaign donations in the past.
Resolution 98 09 has pages of "whereas" lines. I do not have time to address each one, but let
me state for a fact that many of these statements are totally debatable, and some even
disingenuous.
Please, embrace the possibility of change, and defeat Resolution 98 09.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify on this Resolution.
Sue Irvine
1443 Wailuku Drive
Hilo, HI 96720
808 935 8080 home
808 895 3421 cell
susan.r002ngmai l.com
4/10/2009