thoughts on the charter amendments

[kalianna]

I'm lost on how to vote on these and would be interested in hearing opinions from others, both pro and con.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

kalianna,
Here’s a little more info, although not on all 16 amendments:

https://www.civilbeat.org/2020/09/hawaii...mendments/

[randomq]

PROPOSAL NO. 1: Membership for the Board of Ethics
Shall the Hawai‘i County Charter be amended to increase the membership of the Board of Ethics from five members to seven members?

-- Why?

PROPOSAL NO. 2: Expanding the Duties of the County Auditor
Shall the Hawai‘i County Charter be amended to expand the duties of the Office of the County Auditor to include investigating allegations of fraud, waste, or abuse within the operations of the County of Hawai‘i?

-- That's a lot of power to exercise on a whim. Reminds me of "complaint driven enforcement". I say no, let the courts decide when subpoenas and testimony are warranted.

PROPOSAL NO. 3: Establishing a Youth Commission
Shall the Hawai‘i County Charter be amended to establish a Youth Commission, which would consist of at least nine but no more than 15 members between the ages of 14 and 24-years old, whose duties would include advising the Mayor, County Council, and official agencies of the County on legislative and budgetary matters, assess existing programs and advance new programs that support youth development, and encourage and coordinate youth participation in County initiatives and other forms of civic engagement?

-- No. Let the youth earn respect by doing something useful, not just sitting on a commission giving their opinion.

[kalakoa]

increase the membership of the Board of Ethics

Judging by their recent "decisions", Board of Ethics doesn't actually do anything, we could save some money by disbanding it.

expand the duties of the Office of the County Auditor

Same answer: Auditor is a "no-op".

Let the youth earn respect by doing something useful, not just sitting on a commission

Agree in principle, but the reality is, nobody is allowed to actually do anything anymore (too much liability) which makes sitting on commissions a valuable "life skill".

Then again, what do I care? I can barely muster enough outrage for this post.

[randomq]

Interesting that these were the best charter amendments we could muster. At least the auditor one is interesting., The others look like filler.

Nothing towards civil rights, sustainability, energy independence, naming Oahu as *our* "neighbor island", etc?

[kalianna]

I've already voted but saw this article today that might shed some light for those who have yet to cast their ballots.

https://bigislandnow.com/2022/10/26/what...mendments/

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Kierkiewicz on Proposal #3:

I just appreciated the opportunities to just get to know how government works, make an impact and here I am, on the Council,”

I wish there was a commission, youth or otherwise, that got citizens to know how government doesn’t work, and get those people on the Council.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Full text of the 3 Hawaii County Charter Amendments on the 2022 Ballot:

https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/home/showpu...9377600000