Friday, March 29, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Saturday, July 11, 2020
Victorino: Maui Council Should not Bypass Charter Commission
By News Release @ 1:05 PM :: 2183 Views :: Maui County

Mayor maintains that Charter Commission should review proposed Maui County Charter amendments

News release from Office of the Mayor, July 10, 2020

Mayor Michael Victorino expressed his disappointment Friday with the Maui County Council’s first-reading passage of three proposed Maui County Charter amendments without sufficient study and review by the Charter Review Commission. The Commission will convene in 2021.

However, Mayor Victorino was pleased that the proposal to bifurcate the Department of Housing and Human Concerns did not pass. Instead, it will be sent to the Charter Review Commission, which will do its due diligence to determine whether a separate Department of Housing be more effective in generating more attainable and county-initiated housing.

“The commission will be able to determine whether splitting up the department would actually help generate more attainable housing or improve human services programs,” Mayor Victorino said.

“Regarding the three proposed amendments advanced on first reading, these proposals lack public discussion and review during the current COVID-19 pandemic,” Mayor Victorino said. “We need to look closely at whether these proposals would accomplish what they set out to do. Our Charter is our County Bible, our foundational document. It’s not something that should be changed on a whim, or on the idea that if something sounds good it’s the right thing to do.”

Mayor Victorino is not in favor of the following proposals:

Establishment of a Department of Agriculture.

“Aside from the unknown added costs of a new department amid uncertainty about the long-term budgetary impacts of COVID-19 on County revenues, this would create governmental redundancy because there’s already state and federal departments of agriculture,” Mayor Victorino said. “Farmers need support and promotion of agriculture, which does not need the creation of a new County department.”

Relating to conflicting interpretations of the Charter.

“This Charter amendment proposal raises many questions that should be addressed by a Charter Review Commission,” Mayor Victorino said. “The proposed standards of review are, themselves, open to subjective interpretation. Even now, the Council can already seek a declaratory ruling from a judicial authority to resolve a conflict of interpretation of the County Charter. It’s unclear what this proposed amendment would accomplish.”

A proposed amendment for the Charter Commission.

“This proposed amendment would remove the ‘check and balance’ of appointing members to the Charter Commission, with the legislative branch, empowered to ‘stack’ the commission with its appointees,” Mayor Victorino said. 

---30---

MN: Charter change proposals being pushed forward unnecessarily

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT