Let's not be fooled again

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

After the disappointment and disillusionment Andy Mirikitani brought to District 5, the election to fill his spot on the City Council held special significance. Like the old "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me," it sure looked like the voters in District 5 were determined to make sure they weren't fooled again.

They came out to look the candidates square in the eyes and ask them tough questions. There were forums and community meetings in district parks, school cafeterias, Honolulu Hale, even at Magoo's Pizza. There was debate and discussion of real issues. One voter even asked the candidates point-blank in a public gathering, "Show of hands, how many of you would give up your pension if convicted of a felony while holding public office?"

That there were 14 candidates vying for the opportunity to represent the district was a good sign. There has been much discussion of how thankless a job in public service can be. That 14 people were willing to take on that responsibility and to go through the pains of a campaign for a position that is guaranteed for less than a year is an indication of how much the residents of District 5 care about their diverse and distinct neighborhood.

So what happened?

Ann Kobayashi won the election hands-down, but there weren't many hands.

Sure, special elections are notorious for poor voter turnout, so perhaps 27 percent shouldn't be surprising. There was just one race on the ballot, it was a rainy day and there were reports of confusion as to the location of some of the polling places; all factors that would keep people from making the effort to cast their votes.

But how big a factor is apathy? How pervasive is the feeling of disconnection, not only in District 5, but in every neighborhood? How badly do people have to be treated by their elected officials before they're willing to get off the couch on a rainy Saturday, get down to the nearest school cafeteria or district park and cast their votes?

Council candidate John Steelquist, a five-year veteran of the Manoa Neighborhood Board, wished out loud at one well-attended forum for the same kind of attendance at the "long and tedious" neighborhood board meetings. He asked the gathering of close to 100 "interested voters" to stay interested and get active.

At the same time, one of the community members asked the same of the candidates. Directing his question to Richard Soo, John Steelquist and Kekoa Kaapu, he asked, "If you don't get elected this time, can we count on you to run again in November?"

In November, the stakes will be much higher. Hopefully, voter turnout statewide will be, too. It's obvious that we care about our government leadership, but unless intention translates into action, we'll run the risk of being fooled again, and we'll have no one to blame but ourselves.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.