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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOMM. 069 Mr. Kimiaki Sakata, Chairman Hawaii County Charter Commission 25 Aupuni St. Hilo, Hawaii, 96720 Dear Commissioners, The following is respectfully submitted for your consideration. In our collective National wisdom, the members of the United States Congress, who represents districts, are elected every two (2) years. These members of the House of Representatives are faced with making decisions on complex issues which are national and international in scope. However, the overriding need to have the U.S. Congress be responsive to the people of the nation makes 2 years the optimum period for the election of a Congressman. In our collective State-wide wisdom, the members of the State legislature, who represent the smaller of the State legislative districts, are elected every two (2) years. The State Representatives are faced with making decisions on issues which are State-wide in complexity. However, the overiding need to have the State Legislature be responsive to the people of the State of Hawaii makes 2 years the optimum period for the election of a State Representative. The Hawaii County Councilmen, who are elected from proposed districts., are faced with local issues which are district-wide or county-wide in complexity. Therefore, there are no overriding reasons why their term of office should be any longer than the 2 year term of office of the State Representative or the National Congressman. A term of office of 2 years for the District Councilman will enable the people to exercise the power of their votes over the County legislative process more effectively, will greatly enhance communication between the District Councilmen and the people of their respective districts, and will make the Hawaii County Council more responsive to the people of the County of Hawaii. The tentative decision by the Commission subcommittee to adopt a plan with 5 District Councilmen is a step in the right direction towards creating a County Council which is responsive to the people of each district. The combining of the District Councilmen with four (4) At-large Councilmen will enable each voter to vote for a majority of the Councilmen. This will give the people of each district effective representation on the County Council because decisions are made by majority vote. The County Charter provides the framework for the power structure for the County legislative process. That framework must be designed so that the voters of each district will have the power to guide the destiny of their own district. The most effective form of this power is the power to vote for a�tleast the majority of the Councilmen. COMM. NO;Yo <urs truly„ C -mom eck June 9, 1979 Has ,T ki Kawasaki P.O. Box 81 Capt. Cook, HI,96704 Mr. Kimiaki Sakata, Chairman Hawaii County Charter Commission 25 Aupuni St. Hilo, HI , 96720 Dear Commissioners, Enclosed is a copy of the proposal, which I made at the Kona hearing on May 22, as seen from the perspective of a voter in any district of the County. The proposal advocate: 1 . Effective representation for every district by voting for a majority of the Council. a. The Council decides by majority vote. 2. A Council responsive to the people. a. Vote for District Councilmen every 2 years. To achieve the above 2 goals, the following is proposed: A. A Council of 7 or 9 members. 1 . For 7-member Council: Combination of 4 District and 3 At-large Councilmen. Majority is 4 Councilmen. 2. For 9-member Council: Combination of 5 District and 4 At-large Councilmen. Majority is 5 Councilmen. B. District Councilmen elected every 2 years. 1 . They run from small districts. C. At-large Councilmen elected for 4-year terms, 2 elected every 2 years. 1 . They run County-wide. 4 years is trade-off for the more expensive effort. 2. Voting for a small number allows good candidate differentiation. a. Voters can identify and evaluate each candidate. June 9, 1979 Respectfully submitted, Masayu'. i Kawasaki P.O. Box 81 Capt.Cook, HI , 96704 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. . y c 2 This proposal for the election by districts calls for the election. of up to three Councilmen in any one district. This number permits good differentiation of candidates. However, with this proposal, the power of the voters of each district over the County legislative process is lost. Decisions may be made by elected officials on the basis of goodwill or charity. But, the nitty-gritty, the bottom-line of decision-making in a showdown of conflicting interests is the power of the majority vote. In a Council of 9 members, 5 votes pass the motion. The people of a district represented by and who votLS for only 3 Councilmen has power over only their 3 Councilmen. Because the control of the Council is with a 5 member majority, the decisions affecting the district are made by a majority of Councilmen over whom the people of the district has no power. The power of the people of the district over the County legislative process on issues .interna_ to that district is reduced to zero. And where does the power go? Initially, the power goes to the Councilman who is now free of the constraint of the voters of a district. He can decide an issue affecting that district on the basis of the best interest of himself and the voters of his own district, who are his constituents. He does not have to seek the votes of the people of the district which the decision will affect. That district's votes mean nothing to him. Thus, freed from the power of that district's voters, he can respond to the visible and invisible influences that are brought to bear upon him. The strongest influences are exerted by organizations with wealth. These organizations can have the greatest influence over the Councilman who is not accountable to the voters of the district affected by his decision because wealthy organizations have the money to mount an effective lobby both visible and invisible. Thus, a rational analysis of the flow of power shows that the pure election by district proposal for voting of Councilmen robs the people of a particular district of their power over the County legislative process and opens the way to the imposition, by wealth, of control over the County legislative process as it affects issues internal to that district. The proposal for dividing the County into equal districts meets the goal of fairness. The election of at-large Councilmen gives each district voters the effective representation that comes from being the constituent of the majority of Councilmen. Therefore, it is proposed that the fairness of the election by equal districts be combined with the effective representation of the constituency of the majority of the Councilmen. A plan that would provide 4 districts of equal population, each district electing one Councilman, would required 3 Councilmen elected at-large to give each County voter the effective power over the County legislative process that comes from being the constituent of a majority of the Councilmen. A plan that would provide for 5 districts of equal population, each district electing one Councilmen, would require 4 Councilmen elected at-large to provide each County voter the effective power over the County legislative process that comes from being the constituent of a majority of the Councilmen. A number of districts above 5 runs into the problem of not meeting the goals of economy and differentiation of candidates. f 4 3 Election from a district, which is a smaller, area, allows the setting _of the term of office of the District Councilmen at two years. This provides the voters with a more frequent exercise of their power over the County legislative process. The term of 4 years for the At-large Councilmen provides a trade-off for the cost of campaigning over the entire County. The election of half of the At-large Councilmen at every election provides for the election of three Councilmen at most by the voters of a district. This will make for good candidate differentiation. The County Charter provides the framework for the power structure for the Coonty legislative process. That framework must be designed so that the voters of each district will have the power to guide the destiny of their own district. The most effective form of this power is the power to vote for at least the majority of the Councilmen. This proposal for the election of the Hawaii County Council, which combines the election of Councilmen by equal districts with the election of the proper number • of Councilmen at-large, meets the goals of (1) effective representation, (2) fairness, and (3) candidate differentiation. •