Four year Council terms?

[JerryCarr]

Saw this interesting article in today's Advertiser concerning a proposed Charter amendment that would increase Big Island County Council terms from two to four years.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/articl...ncil+terms

[Rob Tucker]

I was at the Charter Commission hearing on Friday. I testified for FoPF on a few proposed amendments including incorporating into the Charter the CDPs, 2% Land Preservation Fund, and Live web broadcasts of Council, commission and committee meetings.

Personally I testified that a four year term would be acceptable only if it was coupled with a liberalization of the Recall Petition requirements.

There is a separate proposal regarding Recalls which would lower the number of signatures required and make them a bit easier to acquire.

At the present for example, My voter registration might be set up in the name of Robert Tucker or Robert S. Tucker.... if i sign my name on a petition as Rob Tucker (which I normally do) the signature would not be counted because it is not identical to the voter registration signature.

Similarly if your address changes and you failed to notify voter registration you signature would not count.

So the recall process is a minefield laid to protect elected officials from the ire of the public.

I testify for balance. Increase the council terms to four years ONLY if the Recall Petition language is made more accessible.

Most others who testified are against the four year terms and had good reasons.

[JerryCarr]

I guess I have to separate my feelings about the current Council majority from the bigger picture. I keep thinking, "If they behave this badly facing re-election next year, how badly would they behave if they didn't?" The bigger picture, however, allows at least the possibility that we might get somebody with some sense in there who could actually get something done if not having to campaign just when they hit their stride.

The recall process needs to be liberalized regardless of whether we give the Councillors longer terms.

[james weatherford]

Thanks, Jerry, for this:

"The recall process needs to be liberalized regardless of whether we give the Councillors longer terms."

Agreed.

James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park

[Bob Orts]

The Charter cannot address the issue of what is a valid signature as that's a State law. Hawaii's Constitution gives the authority of election qualifications to the State Legislature. Hawaii County Charter can address the requirement for number of voters. Requiring 25% for the petition and 50% for the recall of the total of registered voters is a bit out of line with amended charters throughout the U.S. Most have amended to start making it X% of those who cast votes in the election for the person being recalled.

So if 1,000 people were registered to vote in the last election but only 500 voted, currently you would need 250 for the petition and 500 voters for the recall election to be upheld. Even if 490 voted yes to the recall and 9 voted no, the person would not be recalled due to the registered voter requirement. If it were based on 25% petition and 50% election of those who did vote, you would only need 125 valid signatures to have an election and 250 people to vote and the majority rules. After all, they don’t have that high requirement to be elected, so apply the same standard to a recall.

[mdd7000]

Do I understand this correctly? Only people who were registered to vote in the election could then sign the recall petition?

[Bob Orts]

Ooops, let me clarify. Any registered voter can sign the petition for recall and vote in a recall election. The number of signatures required for the petition, and the number of voters that must vote in the recall election to make it valid, is based on the total number of registered voters (not actual people who did vote) from the last general election.

[Shekelpal]

Excuse me, did the people not vote in a 2 year term not too many years ago? Why was that?

[Del Pranke]

The proposal to return to 4-year council terms has been scratched from the list that are being considered. That proposal should not be on the ballot. The next Charter Review Commission will be on December 18th. It should be at 1:30 pm. The notice says at the Ben Franklin Blding still. I'd check on that though. Call Karen Eoff 808-327-0099.