Why Windward Oahu and all of Hawaii is Short Changed on Representation.

June 5, 2020 0 Comments by admin in Town & Community Empowerment

District 3- Waimanalo, Kailua and Kaneohe, together the total about 115,000 people.

To compare representation let’s look at Douglas County Oregon which has approximately 107,000 people. Douglas County has a regular county structure (not City & County) which administrates roads, parks, law enforcement, planning and public works, etc. The county is overseen by a 3 person Board of Commissioners, and elected County Assessor, Auditor, County Clerk , Judge, Sheriff, Surveyor, Treasurer and Justice of the Peace.

Douglas County also has 12 incorporated municipalities.

A working definition of an incorporated municipality can look like the following:

Municipal corporations are an important feature of the political structure of the United States. Incorporating a municipality gives it the freedom to form a society that is distinct from other localities in the state and country. This idea of local control is the same concept that animates the constitutional division of the country into a collection of smaller states. By giving municipalities some autonomy, individuals are more capable of participating in politics and gaining a measure of control over their lives than if political activity occurred only on the federal and state level.

Roseburg is the Douglas County seat and an incorporated municipality, home to about 23,000 people. It has a Mayor who elected for a two year term and an eight person city council elected on four year terms. Both the mayor and city council are non-salaried volunteer positions.

So lets compare the representation of District 3 of the City & County of Honolulu to Douglass County Oregon and the City of Roseburg

District 3 City & County of Honolulu

Representation:

1- Mayor of Honolulu

1- City Prosecutor

1- City Council Position

Douglas County

Representation:

1- County Commissioner

1-County Assessor

1-County Auditor

1- County Clerk

1- County Sheriff,

1- County Surveyor

1- County Treasurer

1- Justice Of The Peace

Roseburg Incorporated Municipality (1 of 12)

Representation:

1- Mayor

8- City Council Representing Different Neighborhoods (Boroughs)

Towns like Kailua and Kaneohe would be incorporated municipalities if they were anywhere else on the mainland. This means that Windward residents would have the legal ability to plan their own towns future and the direction of its development.

Its this lack of representation that thwarts the ability for proper planning based on the participation and input of residents.

(Note: The Neighborhood Board system on Oahu, regardless of their hard work, are only in an advisory position and have no legal authority compared to an elected city council of an incorporated municipality.)