06-30-2010, 05:20 AM
NOTE: This topic is posted to accept Rob's invitation to make use of this forum to promote my candidacy and positions.
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To affect real benefit to constituents it is essential for any and every Council member to understand the reality of separate, if complementary, powers and functions of different jurisdictions – County, State, and Federal.
Were time, money, and public attention infinite, the difference in jurisdictional powers and functions might not be something of concern. However, time, money, and public attention are finite.
When time, money, and public attention are directed toward issues over which the Council has no decision making powers or statutory function provided in the County Charter and/or State Constitution, it is inevitably done at the expense of progress on other issues over which the Council does have (sometimes primary) decision making responsibility. There may be occasions when this expense is worth the benefit gained; there are definitely other times it is not.
Certainly, of benefit is close communication and collaboration between the Council member and State and Federal legislators and agencies who are also serving the same local constituents as the Council member. Communication and collaboration, wherein the Council member must advocate for local benefits, is not the matter of concern here.
Rather, the concern here is that when other Council actions stray from decision making powers and functions provided in the County Charter and/or State Constitution the result is confusion, unrealistic expectations, and frustration on the part of the public.
During the most recent Council term, various Resolutions were put forward on emotionally charged issues over which the Council has no decision making powers. Time, money, and public attention were directed at Resolutions with nil potential for tangible benefit to residents of this County.
A cynical view expressed by some is that adventures into issues beyond the Council’s decision making powers and functions purposely serve to distract the public from the lack of solutions for issues that are the Council’s responsibility.
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
To affect real benefit to constituents it is essential for any and every Council member to understand the reality of separate, if complementary, powers and functions of different jurisdictions – County, State, and Federal.
Were time, money, and public attention infinite, the difference in jurisdictional powers and functions might not be something of concern. However, time, money, and public attention are finite.
When time, money, and public attention are directed toward issues over which the Council has no decision making powers or statutory function provided in the County Charter and/or State Constitution, it is inevitably done at the expense of progress on other issues over which the Council does have (sometimes primary) decision making responsibility. There may be occasions when this expense is worth the benefit gained; there are definitely other times it is not.
Certainly, of benefit is close communication and collaboration between the Council member and State and Federal legislators and agencies who are also serving the same local constituents as the Council member. Communication and collaboration, wherein the Council member must advocate for local benefits, is not the matter of concern here.
Rather, the concern here is that when other Council actions stray from decision making powers and functions provided in the County Charter and/or State Constitution the result is confusion, unrealistic expectations, and frustration on the part of the public.
During the most recent Council term, various Resolutions were put forward on emotionally charged issues over which the Council has no decision making powers. Time, money, and public attention were directed at Resolutions with nil potential for tangible benefit to residents of this County.
A cynical view expressed by some is that adventures into issues beyond the Council’s decision making powers and functions purposely serve to distract the public from the lack of solutions for issues that are the Council’s responsibility.
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park